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Good chapter and nice job with the action.
Actually I was mildly surprised because I thought that someone in this story was going to turn their sides, due to such erm...circumstances.
I didn't think it was going to be Giovanni specifically though.

"We're going on a raid to a small uncharted island, where there is a disturbance. Prepare back-up in case needed."

The commanding voice belongs to the Officer Jenny in Olivine City. Just as you heard, the commotion attracted the attention of seaside towns Olivine and Cianwood. She was barking orders into a radio, on a police speedboat. Just as she was preparing to depart for the site to investigate with a police squad, Brock and Hikari arrived on the harbor to stop her.

This time, the situation being dire, Brock didn't make any advances to the officer. Or maybe it's just because his Toxicroak is just standing by...

"WAIT!" Brock called to the departing boat. He, Toxicroak and Hikari ran up to the gangplanks alongside the boat.

Jenny immediately applied the brakes. Even before he was sure they'd stop, Toxicroak hurled Brock into the air right onto the boat's deck, much to the breeder's dismay.

After recovering, Brock ran to the side of the ship, just as the officers looked at him quizzically. "YOU CRAZY FROG! What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

Toxicroak shrugged(Maybe... Think of it as thanks for your putting a bad influence in my friends...)

Hikari sighed. After the little incident, Jenny emerged from the boat's control cabin, looking sternly at Brock, still shouting at his Pokemon.

"I'm sorry, but you have to get off," Jenny said. "No civilians allowed."

Brock lowered his head, trying to apologize. "Listen, my friends could be right in the center of that incident. We have to-"

"I admire your concern for your friends, but-" She looked at what was unmistakably puppy-dog eyes from Brock. "I'm gonna get kicked from my job for this..."

'YES! And it's going to be like a lo-'

Hikari called them back at the harbor, interrupting Brock's fantasy. "So you're allowing us to go after all. Now, can you help me aboard?"

Minutes later, Brock and Hikari stood at the bow of the ship. They nodded at each other as they held a Pokeball in their hands. The white flashes from the Pokeballs landed in the water.

"Go, Swampert!"

"Empoleon, time to show up!"

Two Pokemon appear by the side of the boat. One is a large, finned pokemon with sensor-like eyes. The second one is a dark-blue penguin with something that looks like a crown in place of her beak.

"Go on ahead of us to find Ash and May," Brock ordered to his Swampert.

"You help out, too, okay, Empoleon?" Hikari added.

The two Pokemon saluted, and dived into the salty water.

---

As they swam ahead of the cruiser, Swampert turned to Empoleon(I think I see something! It looks like- Like-)

Empoleon(A Feraligatr!)

Sure enough, Ash's Feraligatr swam into view in front of the other two Pokemon. the Big Jaw was surprised at the newcomers. The three Stage 2 Pokemon stared at each other for a few seconds until Feraligatr spoke.

Feraligatr(Who're you guys?)

Swampert(We're looking for Ash and May. Who are YOU?)

Feraligatr(I'm looking for them, too. You guys good OR bad?)

The other two looked at each other and nodded. Empoleon(We came here with the police.)

Feraligatr(Then that makes you the good guys. Come on, we have to find Ash and May. They might have taken to the water to escape the explosion.)

The Big Jaw led the other two Pokemon to the land mass underwater that is the foundation of Rocket Castle. Feraligatr just kept swimming around the rocks, when Swampert detected something with his radar. Swampert swam ahead of Feraligatr to point to a pile of rocks at the rock face. Some of the water was fltiering through the rocks, meaning there is an opening behind them.

After the battle, all the Rockets escaped from boats. Jessie, James and Meowth took the boat they used. Feraligatr dived in earlier to try and find his trainer and friends. As the trio pondered on what to do, another speedboat came up to them from the mainland Olivine. On it were Brock and Hikari and Officer Jenny!

'Uh-oh,' Meowth thought. 'The rest of the Merry Twerps have arrived with the fuzz...'

"Team Rocket!" Brock shouted to them, as their boat slowed down beside the Rockets. "Where are Ash and May?"

'Didn't we do this bit before, with the twerp-Boss?' Meowth mouthed, with a huge sigh. "Look, we're the good guys this time!" he called back.

"I highly doubt that," Hikari said, crossing her arms.

The police began boarding the several boats carrying the Rockets. Many more "fuzz" arrived to help confine the criminals, who, surprisingly, didn't resist. Must be because they think Team Rocket is indeed gone, with Giovanni along with it...

Only J2 were struggling from their handcuffs. "I'm telling you, we're the good guys!" Jessie shrieked, so loud that everyone had to cover their ears.

"The twerp can back us up," James added.

"And where is Ash? And May?" Brock repeated his previous question.

James and Meowth looked at each other(Jessie is still screaming her head off), and bowed their heads. "We- We don't know..."

Brock didn't like the tone of their voice. He looked back at the ruins of Rocket Castle. 'Come on, buddy, you've gotten through worse stuff than this...'

As if on cue, three splashes could be heard. Hikari ran toi the side of the boat where she heard them, and cried out, "ASH! MAY!"

Brock ran to his friend's side. His Swampert is leading the other three Pokemon, Empoleon, Slowking and Feraligatr, towards the boat. On the latter two's backs are Ash, Pikachu and May, all out of breath, but alive.

---

First-aid was applied to the trainers. When May finally opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by police officers, Brock, Hikari, Team Rocket, Pikachu, Feraligatr and Slowking. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"H-hey, guys," she said weakly. "What's up?" As she stood up, and the blanket covering him slipped off. Then she remembered. "Where's Ash?"

Brock and Hikari turned to each other, and away from May. The latter could sense something's wrong... "N-no... Ash..."

Just then, a voice sounded behind Brock. "What? Did someone say my name?" Ash appeared between Brock and Jessie, shaking his head. He, too, was wearing a blanket like May's.

Brock put a fist in front of his mouth to clear his throat. Hikari turned around so May couldn't see her face. But the eyes were a telltale sign of their moods.

"Not FUNNY," May said crossly.

Brock shrugged, and it revealed his suppressed grin. "Eh, we thought we want to see what the expression on your face would be like..."

Jenny turned to J2. "Now, for you three..."

"Uh, can't we negotiate something?" Meowth pleaded.

"Wait," Ash spoke up. Everyone turned to him. Ash shrugged off his blanket as he continued. "If weren't for them, I couldn't have found this place... And May." Ash turned to his former nemeses and smiled. "I owe them one."

After Ash and co. escaped, a lone figure is seen flying towards the castle ruins, on a Salamence. The Salamence landed on the same part where the explosion supposedly killed Giovanni.

"We are too late," the Salamence's trainer, who is Drake, said. A Lapras came up behind him, carrying Prima and Glacia.

"This... Is horrible," Prima said, after getting off from her Pokemon.

Drake called out a Tyranitar. "Quick, use Rock Smash!" Tyranitar pummeled his fists to the ground. In a few seconds, the limp figure of Giovanni was seen beneath the rubble. Drake picked him up, and took him on Salamence's back.

"I'm sorry, old friend," Drake said to the unconscious Rocket as Salamence took off. "We are too late."

Glacia, from the Lapras riding the water below them, called Drake. "What are we going to do now?"

"The competition must go on. The fate of the world depends on it."
CONTINUED...
-HEADS UP:

Spoiler:- Your Spoiler Here:

"The fruits of She-chu's labor... Guess who's the father?"

All eyes were trained on Ash's Pikachu, who, in turn, turned to She-chu(You mean- I- I-) Pikachu couldn't finish, as he fainted right on the spot. May scooped both Pikachus up.

Brock peered at the baby Pokemon. "Eight. How is that possible in such a short time?"

"You're the breeder, you tell us how," James countered. "And... It's not eight, it's nine..." He took out a small incubator, containing what was unmistakably a ninth Pichu egg. Pikachu, who just revived from his shock, fainted again when he saw his ninth offspring.

-Here's something for you that would smell of Advanceshipping: Spoiler:- Your Spoiler Here:

"You're sick, Brock," Ash commented airily.

"Either that, or you've been posessed by a devil. A perverted devil," Hikari added.

'I think that happened a long time ago,' May thought.

Brock placed an arm around Ash, and pulled him aside so the girls won't hear what he has to say. "Come on, don't you want to spend some more time with May?"

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Of course I do, but-"

"If I remember correctly, you were more than eacer to travel with May alone to Sinnoh," Brock added.

"We were alone just because you and everyone else didn't come along!" Ash retorted.

-BTW, EF31 is the last part of the "End of Rocket" saga.
-Here's some real spoilers to the overall plot: Spoiler:- MAJOR SPOILER:

Mask is a Pokemon Master. In my storyline, only one person can hold the title at a time. It means that Ash would have to face him sooner or later, prophecy or not. So this storyline indeed now mirrors the games's final battles: against the Elite Four and the Pokemon master of that game(the champion).

EF32: Pikachu's Been Busy

The police cruiser dropped the rest of the prisoners in the Whirl Prison. J2 and Meowth are going to mainland Olivine to face an unknown sentence, but not before Ash and co. bade them luck.

But even before they arrived, we take notice of another party. In Cianwood City, there is a festival(or more of a carnival) to commemorate two large events: the P-1 and, of course, the Bruno's Cup.

Amidst the preparations of the two events, a grim scene arrives at a private hospital. Johto Elite Bruno is seen conversing with Drake near the entrance of the building. Behind them, an aide was wheeling a gurney, carrying a bandaged Giovanni.

"This situation seems dire," Bruno was saying. "I never thought Team Rocket would go like this..."

Drake nodded as he watched Giovanni taken inside. "We must finish all this quickly. We must find the one who can suceed Mask's powers so he can be defeated."

"What of our boy?"

"He's already on his way here, with his friends. In fact, I want to talk to him right away."

Bruno leaned on the column on the hosppital's porch. "This Cup will probably take a week to finish. You think we can still make it?"

"Let's hope so."

---

Officer Jenny dropped off our heroes on their next destination: Cianwood City, the site for the Bruno's Cup. Slowking accompanied the Rockets earlier on their behalf for their trial in Olivine City.

When the foursome arrived on the harbor, it was nearly midnight. The excitement of the recent adventures must have made them lose track of the time.

Brock looked up his Pokegear for information. "There's a hotel in the north portion of this island. And it says that trainers who are coming to participate in the Bruno's Cup will get free lodging."

Both of the girls's eyes sparkled. "Then what are we waiting for?" Hikari asked. "Let's get checked in RIGHT AWAY!"

The boys and Pikachu sweatdropped, but May was more than agreeing with Hikari. The two literally pulled their companions further into the city.

Even at the late hour, the entire city is alive. People line the city streets, going to the center of the island, where the site for the competition will be held. "Wow, a city that never sleeps," Ash commented, with a huge yawn.

Brock, too, yawned. Both of them didn't cover their mouths, much to May's and Hikari's dismay. "Maybe it never sleeps, but I do. And I need it right now..."

The foursome headed in the direction opposite of the sightseers. As they walked past the festival site, they could see there were kiosks, banners, all the things you could find in a festival. May was wishing that she should have been born with eyes on all sides of her head, as she kept turning around to take in the view. Hikari, meanwhile, had her attention caught by a poster on the wall of the nearest stall.

"Look, guys, aside from the Cup and P-1, there's also a conte-" Brock shut her up with a look. But Ash caught on, as he read the poster.

"Contest!" he finished for Hikari. Ash turned to May. "Why don't you enter, May? So there's something to occupy you with while I fight in the Cup?"

Hikari looked at May apologetically, as Brock shook his head. Ash, however, took no notice of this. May quivered her lip, but she said, "S-sure, Ash. I'll join the contest..."

"Great! Let's-"

"Uh, Ash," Brock interrupted, "shouldn't we be checking in the hotel first? It's late, and you said it yourself, we're all tired."

Ash looked at his friend quizzically. "Uh, sure, I guess..." But then his youthful enthusiasm kicked in, and he took May by the hand and they ran ahead of the others. Brock turned to Hikari to scold her.

"Don't you remember what May asked us in Pallet Town?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot," Hikari said gloomily.

"Don't apologize to me, you should apologize to May. Now, maybe Ash might find out about all this because of you."

---

Even though Cianwood is composed of many tall buildings, the Trainers's Hotel towered above them all. The magnificent white building stood fifty stories high, supplemented by a lavish garden on the east side and a large adjoining resort to the right..

Ash and May checked in ahead of the others. May must have put the concept of contests out of Ash's mind for a while. It seems that the hotel serves a buddy/relationship policy. So, to lighten the mood(and to continue his schemes of playing Cupid on Ash and May), Brock suggested...

"You're sick, Brock," Ash commented airily.

"Either that, or you've been posessed by a devil. A perverted devil," Hikari added.

'I think that happened a long time ago,' May thought.

Brock placed an arm around Ash, and pulled him aside so the girls won't hear what he has to say. "Come on, don't you want to spend some more time with May?"

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Of course I do, but-"

"If I remember correctly, you were more than eager to travel with May alone to Sinnoh," Brock added.

"We were alone just because you and everyone else didn't come along!" Ash retorted.

"Oh, yeah... I forgot..."

---

Still, Brock managed to bribe the hotel Maitre for the desired rooming arrangements. And so, Ash and May go in one room, and Brock and Hikari in the other. Luckily for the latter pair, their room has two bunks. But for the other two, well...

"How come someone who can't make any advances towards any girl make the most perverted of plans?" Ash asked himself as he entered his and May's room. To add insult to injury, the room that the bribed hotel helpers took them to a honeyroom suite. Pikachu jumped off May's hold and onto the red-blanketed(it's Valentine-themed) queen-size bed. The little mouse immediately fell asleep at the center.

May wasn't listening as she strode around the bed to the dresser. She looked at herself in the mirror. Signs of stress are appearing under her eyes. Then she remembered something. The prophecy... The Boss fo Team Rocket wanted her to give Ash the files containing the verse, but the folder was lost when she and Ash were escaping underwater.

She was lost in thought that she didn't notice Ash until he grabbed her from behind. Ash held May closer, and May could feel his chest pressing against her back. "I'm so sorry, May. I know Team Rocket kidnapped you to get to me... I didn't want to put you in danger."

"Ash," May started weakly. "I-"

"Don't say another word," Ash said shortly. "I want to keep travelling with you, but, if it means that-"

"Wait, Ash," May said suddenly. She turned around, so she and Ash are facing each other. "Team Rocket did kidnap me to get to you, but this time they din't mean any harm." May struggled free of Ash's embrace, and turned to the bed. "He- The Boss, I mean, Giovanni, he wanted to talk to you..."

Ash was surprised. "But why?"

May sat down the edge othe bed, and gazed into Ash's eyes. "It's about-"

"Hey, girls younger than me are not my type, okay? You should know that already."

The room Hikari and Brock were sharing was as big as Ash and May's, and they have two beds. Brock sat on one bed, while Hikari lay on the other. Toxicroak(on Hikari's request) was in between the two beds, alternating turning from one trainer to the other, his crooked smile sjowing, due to amusement.

---

Because of May's storytelling, she and Ash both slept late. Brock, assuming that his plan worked, left them alone. Besides, the Bruno's Cup won't begin until 4 days from now. So it was about late afternoon until the couple finally woke up.

Ash still had his head swimming from all the details May told him about the night before. To get his mind off things for a while, Ash began training Heracross again. He and the others also let out all their Pokemon free to explore the city and(to a certain extent) the island.

It is now the second day on their stay in Cianwood. Majority of the Pokemon are at a small park, with a cliff overlooking the sea, being looked after by Brock, May and Hikari. Torkoal was just basking in the sunlight, dangerously close to the cliff's edge. Feraligatr is also there, and Toxicroak was leaning beside a tree, away from the others, as usual. Swampert was unbelievably close to Blaziken(uh-oh, Sceptile better return, quick). Espeon was playing with Squirtle, and Empoleon was showing off her Aqua Jet to children. Swellow and Staravia are perched on top of the tree above Toxicroak.

Pikachu, meanwhile, picked up a familiar scent. He darted away from the others, in the direction of the aroma. He spotted a nearby stand serving fried dumplings. As he held up his nose in the air to savor the smell, the proprietors turned around for Pikachu to see their faces. Team Rocket!

"Prepare for your stomach to rumble," Jessie said, in her hand a bottle of mustard.

"Make it a special double, double serving, at least," James added, holding out a fan that he was using to fan the smoke out of their grill.

Pikachu sighed. Just then May arrived. The ex-Rockets looked up at her. "Ah, the twerpette. Just the girl we want to see..."

"Team Rocket? What's wrong?" May asked. "I thought you guys were going to face a trial?"

Jessie shrugged. "Probation. That's the most rewarding sentence they gave to us. And then we decided to-"

"Go into the fast-food business," James finished. "Here, try one," he added, handing May a plate full of steaming hot dumplings. "On the house."

May poked a tooth pick into one of the round treats, and swallowed it whole. It was delicous. "Wow. You guys should continue on this. This food tastes great!"

Jessie and James looked at each other excitedly. Meowth cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, just as Brock and Hikari approached. "Anyway, where is the twerp? We have something to show him."

"Ash is training," Brock spoke up. "I hope you guys are going to stop hounding him for Pikachu now."

"No, no, we're above that," James said. "Au contraire, we're the ones who are going to give something to you guys this time..."

On cue, Meowth went to the back of their kiosk. Seconds later, he reappeared, carrying a box full of... Pichus!

"Whoah!" Hikari said suddenly. 'Those are-"

"The fruits of She-chu's labor... Guess who's the father?"

All eyes were trained on Ash's Pikachu, who, in turn, turned to She-chu(You mean- I- I-) Pikachu couldn't finish, as he fainted right on the spot. May scooped both Pikachus up.

Brock peered at the baby Pokemon. "Eight. How is that possible in such a short time?"

"You're the breeder, you tell us how," James countered. "And... It's not eight, it's nine..." He took out a small incubator, containing what was unmistakably a ninth Pichu egg. Pikachu, who just revived from his shock, fainted again when he saw his ninth offspring.

James gently pushed the incubator containing the egg towards May. "It's time this one is given to you."

"Wh-wha-? But why?" Both Pikachus jumped off May's arms, so she can be free to hold the egg.

Meowth turned away, to hide his smirk. But he winked at Brock. "So that you can start training for your future..."

May was still a bit puzzled, but Brock got the idea. He, too, was grinning. 'Nice, Meowth, real nice...'

---

Ash, meanwhile, is strolling the various stalls in the Cup site, Heracross by his side. Many of the stalls were for various Pokemon wrestling firms, all there to enter the competition. Ash didn't even notice it until a large white mass tackled him from behind.

CONTINUED...

Spoiler:- "33 preview":

"Guys, it's hatching!" May called to the everyone. Excited to see the new baby, Ash ran ahead of the others.

Brock and Hikari tried to follow, but Meowth held them in place. "If you guys come along, then the whole scheme would be ruined!"

-'The title is a reference to how busy Pikachu's been, considering how short the time he spent with She-chu is', Meowth commented. 'Tsk, tsk, you should set a better example, especially now that you're a father...'
Meowth's speech is broken off, and all we could see is a yellow flash of lightning...

So, the Elite Four challenge is just a disguise to find someone to defeat the corrupted Pokemon Master Mask. The reference to the first chapter returns, the May lost every contest thing... And Brock must have said something sick, I do not want to know, it sounds really bad... A little advanceshipping, Team Rocket's new motto is hilarious and how did Pikachu reproduce nine times so fast? Did it happen on board the ship? Great chapter, I wonder when Ash will find out about May...

-For the record, like Hikari, I'm going to have a certain Sinnoh character keep his name.
-Wow, Oozaru, you figured it all out. Either I'm a bad plotter, or you're Sherlock Holmes' long lost descendant.
-For the nine babies thing, I call it movie-, T.V.-, or Poke-magic!

Ash was immediately startled by the unprovoked attack. His cries, meanwhile, are muffled under the white mass. Several onlookers only gawked at the sight. Heracross immediately lifted the mass off his trainer as a female trainer approached. Once Heracross sucessfully lifted the unknown "attacker", Ash could be seen sprawled underneath, swilry eyes and all.

"Primeape, I told you never to run off like that," the trainer scolded her Pokemon.

Primeape looked at his trainer and grinned(I couldn't help it. But look who I found!)

Once Ash recovered, the others arrived, hearing of the commotion. Ash sat on the ground, clutching his head. The first thing he saw is May looming over him, and the porta-cubator holding a Pichu egg in her arms.

"Ash?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why do they always go for the head?" Ash turned to his attacker, but then his eyes widened when he realised who it was. "Primeape!"

Primeape grabbed Ash by the waist and lifted him in the air in a backbreaking embrace. The trainer then snapped her fingers. "Ash? Is that really you?"

Everyone turned to her, and Brock recognised her at once. "Rebecca! Oh, sweet Rebecca. How I wish I could count the stars that I-' But, as usual, Toxicroak has appeared, dragging the amorous breeder away.

"So, any introductions now?" Hikari spoke up.

---

After introductions, Rebecca took the trainers to her family's wrestling tent. Anthony is seen sparring with his Hitmonchan. There were other various fighting-types seen in the tent/gym.

Anthony greeted Ash by patting him on the back. Considering the larger man's own strength, Ash fell to the floor again. "Ash! It's good to see you again!"

"Tell me, you guys can still recognize me after all theses years?" Ash asked, taking a seat on one of the benches inside. May and Hikari sat on either side of him, while Brock was still paralyzed, motionless on the ground, just being dragged inside by his Pokemon.

"Sure! Why, we heard of all your various achievements in all the regions of the world."

"And Primeape here makes sure we don't miss a single one," Rebecca added, standing between her father and Primeape.

Hikari nudged Ash. "You're getting pretty famous, Ash," she joked.

"Oh, right, I didn't tell you girls yet," Ash said. "Primeape is a Pokemon I caught a long time ago. But I decided to leave him with Anthony to train."

Primeape is now a living, breathing playground. The Pichus, who followed their little brother/sister with May, are now dotted hiding in and around Primeape's thick fur. The larger Pokemon doesn't mind it at all. In fact he seems to be enjoying it.

"So tell me," Rebecca suddenly said, "you're here to enter the Bruno's Cup, huh?" Ash nodded. "Dad is an old friend of Bruno's, and he was asked to be MC."

"I owe the Elite a few favor, and fighting Pokemon are my niche, so I couldn't refuse." Anthony thought for a moment. "Say, I think it's time Primeape here is returned to you, Ash. I'm pretty sure that he would be great help or you in the Cup."

"Really?"

"Sure. I'm positive that Primeape would love that, won't you, buddy?" Primeape nodded so enthusiastically that some of the Pichus had to hang on by a thread(literally).

"By the way, you have to register for the competition at 3 P.M." Rebecaa looked at her watch. "And you'd better hurry. It's quarter to three already."

"Oh, no! I've gotta go, fast!" He ran out of the tent, followed by Heracross and Primeape. The Pichus, still clinging on to the latter Pokemon, fell to the floor in a thud, and all began to cry.

May sighed. "He still hasn't got rid of that habit..."

Meowth walked in the tent, who looked like he was trampled(and probably was, by Ash in a hurry). "Where are my godchildren? Why are they crying?" he added, picking one up to calm it down.

"Meowth... Godchildren?"

"Hey, in case something happens to the parents, I'm their legal guardian, okay? I'd like to think of myself as a GodMeowth or Meowthfather. What do you think?"

Anthony and Rebecca just looked curiously as Hikari and May sweatdropped.

---

The registration tent is near the center of the site, right beside the stadium where the Cup will be held. Ash found it no trouble at all, since there is a long line at the entrance.

Ash waited impatiently at the end of the line. However, registration seems to be going at a fast rate, so the line is moving really fast. Five people ahead of him, Ash spotted Jack and Donald, the trainers he met when he and May returned to Kanto.

"Hey, guys!" Ash called to the latter two, whose backs were to him. They turned around and saw Ash.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. See ya, Ash!" The two trainers left just as it was Ash's turn to enter the tent. Once inside, Ash was led into a small table. Just as Jack said, wite your name and your Pokemon on the form, and you're done.

As Ash turned to leave, he heard a commotion outside. Several officials headed out to inspect the source, and Ash followed.

Outside, Ash's Primeape is now being held back by Heracross. The former must have tangled with another Pokemon, making him a tad bit angry.

"Primeape, calm down," Ash said to his Pokemon as he approached. Primeape relaxed, and so did Heracross's hold.

The other Pokemon is also a primate. The unknown Pokemon has flaming red hair, long bendy arms and legs, and gold makings around his body; he is an Infernape. The one restraining this Pokemon is...

The officials stood between the two parties, in case another scuffle breaks out. Fortunately, Ash and Shinji managed to restrain their respective Pokemon. However, both Primeape and Infernape still looked aggressively at each other.

"I'll deal with you later," Shinji said in the usual tone. He was also in the line of registration.

Ash, having bad blood with Shinji, didn't wait. Instead, he heralded his two pokemon back to Anthony's gym. When he returned, May was conversing merrily with Rebecca and Hikari, while helping Meowth and Pikachu calm down the crying babies. Brock left earlier, to pick something up.

"Well, there are some reunions, and most of them are good," Ash said airily. He scooped up a Pichu. "I forgot to ask. Where did all these babies came from?"

Pikachu then started whistling absentmindedly, trying not to get Ash's attention.

---

Ash, just like Pikachu, fainted when he found out. When he revived, Brock had returned, with a little surprise for our hero.

"Here," Brock said cheerfully. He tossed Ash a Pokeball.

Puzzled, ash opened the ball to reveal... Sceptile! The Forest Pokemon uncharacteristically locked Ash in an embrace. "Sceptile, it's good to see you!" Ash exclaimed. "How's it been with Max?"

Brock stifled a laugh. "I called Max about that. Sceptile was practically begging me to..." Brock was literally cut off, when he saw one of the spikes of his hair fell to the floor. "Uh, anyway, I took the liberty of taking Staravia to the lab so you can have a free space for Sceptile. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," Ash replied. "It's good to have Sceptile back. But what about-"

"Max said that both Sceptile and Gengar belong to you, so he refused a trade-back."

As Sceptile let go of Ash, he felt a tug on his tail. Turning around, he saw two of the Pichus playing hide-and-seek in the thick leaves of the fern-like tail. He looked curiously at the baby Pokemon, then gave Pikachu a smirk(You've been busy, haven't you?)

Pikachu(I'll tell you all about it later. A lot has happened.)

---

Anthony told Ash that the competition will start the next afternoon. Ash and co. returned to the hotel, but before that, Ash had Sceptile re-introduced to the team. Torkoal and Swellow were the happiest to see their old teammate among the many others. Feraligatr, who was there the whole time, greeted his pal Sceptile.

Just as Sceptile was speaking to Squirtle and Torkoal and some Pichus, he suddenly saw them change their jolly expressions to ones of fear. It seems they saw something behind the Pokemon that frightened them. Sceptile felt a finger lightly tap him on his shoulder, and turned around.

It was Blaziken. Sceptile(Hey, Blaziken, how's it goi- YIKES!) Blaziken went ahead with a Fire Punch, which Sceptile somersaulted to evade. Pikachu and Feraligatr looked at each other uneasily and guiltily. One Pichu folded its ears, another placed a hand on its mouth. The third kept watching on in interest, but Meowth blindfolded him with his own hands.

Meanwhile, Ash looked on, the whole scene misinterpreted. "Wow, Blaziken is so happy that she went on a sparring match with Sceptile already?"

May and the others sighed, knowing that it may be otherwise.

---

At evening, Ash found Jack, Jill and their friends at the hotel. It seems the latter are staying there as well. J2 were also there.

The hotel staff arranged for the large, merged group in the dining hall. They all exchanged stories, while the younger children are playing with the Pichus. May is now holding the Pichu egg closely, sensing that it may hatch soon.

Ash was looking at May like he feels that May deserves that baby Pokemon. Meowth livened up the party by telling wild jokes, and everyone was interested. At a quarter to eleven, May stood up and yawned, still carrying the egg.

"It's getting late, everyone," she said. "I'm going to sleep. Ash, you have your copies of the key to our room, right? Good night."

May left the dining hall. But on the hallway, she gave a shout that made Ash stand abruptly. "Guys, it's hatching!" May called to everyone. Excited to see the new baby, Ash ran ahead of the others.

Brock and Hikari tried to follow, but Meowth held them in place. "If you guys come along, then the whole scheme would be ruined!"

Brock said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot."

---

At the near-deserted hallway, Ash could see May grasping the egg in her own hands. It was glowing, and the incubator was forgotten, lying on the floor.

Some of the staff looked on curiously. The egg was glowing so brightly that Ash and May had to shield their eyes. The egg began spouting a tail, stubby feet, ears, and small hands. When the light disappeared, the couple could see a small Pichu sleeping soundly.

Seconds later, the newborn baby opened its eyes, and sure enough, as Meowth planned it, Ash and May were the first things it saw. Ash and May smiled at each other, and then at the baby.

Like any newborn baby, Pichu began to cry. May cradled it carefully to calm it down. When the others finally arrived at the scene, Pichu calmed down, and kept looking from side to side out of curiousity. Meowth gave Brock a thumbs-up. 'Mission accomplished...'

Suddenly a roar was heard from the cliffside. Ash and everyone else rushed to the scene, May's newborn Pichu excited to see some action. The two of them looked over the sea, where they could see a small speck against the moon in the horizon.

Ash stood at the edge of the cliff with May, as the speck grew larger. In a few moments, Ash recognizes the orange/dark-blue wings.

"It's Charizard!" he shouted over his shoulder to his friends.

Pikachu(Uh-oh. I think I know why he's here...)

"Really?" Meowth asked.

Pikachu(He's not going to be happy at what he'll see. Any good hiding spots?)

Moments later, the air picked up, as Charizard landed on the edge of the cliff. Ash ran over to greet his Pokemon. Sceptile and Feraligatr, who were there the whole time with the other Pokemon, looked at the newcomer in contempt.

Charizard looked at Ash closely. (No tux.) He then looked at May, holding Pichu. (A baby, not human but still a baby, but no gown.) He then looked around. (A big crowd, but no reception.) Then he trained his eyes on Pikachu, who was looking a bit ashamed in front of him. (And most importantly... NO CAKE!?)

Ash sensed his Charizard's rising anger. 'Uh-oh...'

The Flame Pokemon suddenly flew up away from them all, and he engulfed Ash with a Fire Blast!

CONTINUED...
-HEADS UP: Spoiler:- 34 preview:

Charizard(Are you talking to me?)

Feraligatr(Don't you remember me? You know, a playful dancing little-)

Charizard(Nope.) Feraligatr bowed his head. The former turned to the other one(And who might you be?)

I don't think I am Sherlock Holmes' long lost descendant or that you are a bad plotter, it just that by reading, you can already find out the main story, now onto the review! Primaape is back... Shinji and his Infernape is competing this time eh? The Sceptile, Blaziken moment was very funny. 'Sparring Match' is Ash that clueless? The Charizard part was the best, a Fire Blast! Wow, Charizard must really be angry...

"I may be a criminal mastermind, but I won't like it either when the world is destroyed."

-Ash's Primeape has found a rival with Shinji's Infernape. But they're not the only ones. I'm surprised no one reacted to the preview. I predicted that event a long time ago. See EF06 for more infomation.
EF34: War of the Words

"Ash!" May screamed in horror, shielding her eyes from the flare fo Charizard's attack. Pichu, too, shielded its eyes behind May's arm that was holding him.

Charizard, feeling satisfied, blew away his own flames to reveal Ash, charred, on the ground. May, Pikachu and Brock kneeled next to the supine boy to check if he's okay. A puff of smoke coming from his mouth revealed that he was still breathing.

Charizard looked at Pikachu(You didn't do anything that I planned you to DO!)

Pikachu(Look, it's a long story. But-)

She-chu stood in between Pikachu and Charizard. The latter thought he was seeing double, and She-chu spoke(How dare you threaten Ash? And Pikachu? Who do you think you are, anyway?)

Charizard let out a cocky huff(I'm only someone who looks out for the future of his trainer). The Pokemon motioned his head to Ash, who was still unconscious.

This time it was Meowth who stepped in between. "Calm down, She-chu. If you've been with the twerps as long as I have, you know that Charizard means good," Meowth screwed his eyes, "I think..."

A crowd has began to gather, due to the commotion. Some were interested, others were ticked for disturbing a good night's sleep. Among the spectators is Shinji. He is eyeing Charizard in interest, though he still kept his distance from Ash and co. Shinji took out his Pokedex to analyze Charizard:

Charizard, the Flame Pokemon

The evolved form of Charmeleon. It is said that Charizard's fire burns hotter if it has experienced harsh battles.

"So, Ash has a Charizard. That's hard to believe," he remarked.Shinji walked away, back to the hotel.

"Hey," a hotel patron said. "Mind keeping it down, some people are trying to sleep." More spectators sounded their agreement.

Obviously, Ahs and his party are embarassed. When our hero finally recovered, he himself was fuming that Charizard's flame was nothing. He took no notice of the crowd's protests, and turned angrily towards Charizard.

Charizard(I CAME HERE BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT THE BIG EVENT BEING HELD HERE WOULD BE YOUR WEDDING!)

Meowth's eyes widened. "Oh, now I see why he's angry..."

Pikach(I told you so...)

Brock turned to Meowth, his ears ringing. "Mind translating it for us?"

"My pleasure."

A/N: With Meowth as translator, everyone can sort of understand what Charizard is talking about. So, now, everyone present knows what made Charizard act like that. May, of course, is embarrassed.

"YOU WHAT? YOU EXPECT ME TO- You are CRAZY!"

(As crazy as CUPID! I thought you had a chance when I stranded you on that mountain!)

"You mean, you intended for May and I to stay out in the cold like that?"

(YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT FIRE BLAST WAS NON-LETHAL! IT SHOULD BE LESS THAN ENOUGH, IF YOU ASK ME!)

"Why YOU-" Ash made to grab for Charizard's throat. The Pokemon was taunting him with his fingers(like the way they do it in karate movies). Fortunately, May grabbed Ash's arm with her own free hand to stop him.

"Ash," she said quietly. "Please. Don't get ahead of yourself..."

Ash and Charizard glared at each other, and turned away in disgust. Ash stared at May and Pichu in her arms, and calmed down. He turned back to Charizard. "I'll deal with you later..."

(I'll be waiting...)

Ash stalked off, closely followed by May. The crowd now began to disperse, glad that the commotion is over. When he is finally alone with only the other Pokemon at the park, Charizard poised himself on the edge of the cliff.

Sceptile looked at Charizard disapprovingly(Who does he think he is? Attacking the Boss like that?)

Torkoal started crying again(Oh, poor- Er, Boss, Sceptile?)

(Now what's wrong with THAT?!)

Charizard just ignored the comments. Minutes later, snoring can be heard from the orange Pokemon.

---

"Wow, I never thought I would see the day that the twerp would lose his own temper with Charizard," James remarked.

The group have returned to the hotel. On the third floor, Jack and his friends bade them good night, and Brock, Hikari, Jessie, James, Meowth and Pikachu are now on their way to the sixth, where their rooms are. To avoid accidents, the two pairs exchanged roommates, so the males would sleep on one room and the females on the other. Ash and May's room is on the seventh.

"Yeah," Brock agreed. "They may not seem like it, but Ash and Charizard make a great team. Well, after you, of course," he added, to Pikachu, who was on his shoulder.

Pikachu(I'm not as offended as you think, Brock-o...) Pikachu looked sadly out the window. The silhouette of Charizard could be seen against the moonlight, sleeping on the cliff.

Ash went to the bathroom, without a word, to wash up. May sat on her side of the bed, and placed Pichu right next to her. The baby is now running around in circles, clearly enjoying the comfortable bed.

A splashing sound could be heard, indicating Ash was in the bathtub. Pichu is now trying to get May's attention by rolling itself in a ball. May placed a hand on the baby to keep itself from rolling off the bed.

Minutes later, Ash came out. His hair is wet, and wearing only shorts, while a towel was draped over his head. "Would you believe the nerve of that Charizard, May? He wants us to get married? At this age!"

"Maybe he doesn't know that we're not of the right age yet," May guessed. "He is a Pokemon, after all..."

"But still-"

Ash sat on his own side while May stood up for her turn at the bathroom. Pichu turned its attention towards its father. Ash shook his head to dry it off as Pichu crawled towards him. The trainer smiled and placed a hand on Pichu's head, stroking the baby mouse, much to its enjoyment.

---

May, in the bathroom, found out why Ash changed. All his clothes are in the hotel hamper, still blackened from the fire. May walked to the shower, and took off her own clothes. She turned the shower on, and felt relief from the warm water.

'Brock says this happens all the time with Ash and Charizard. So, there's nothing to worry about, right?' she asked herself. Then she smiled nervously. 'Charizard really thinks Ash and I should- Never mind.' May blushed at the thought.

After the shower, May stayed in the bathroom a little longer. She took out her fanny pack from the pile of clothes she left on the sink counter. From the bag, she took out a fresh set of clothes, including, uh, eh, uh...

'I'm not gonna write it.'

'You'd better not. Kids may be reading this,' Meowth spoke up.

'And you're not even in this picture!'

After May changed into a green nightshirt, she stepped out of the bathroom. What she saw in the bedroom amused her. Ash is silently sleeping on his stomach, one of his hands dangling from the edge of the bed. Pichu, however, remained awake, and was tugging on Ash's other arm, trying to wake him up.

"No, Pichu, you shouldn't disturb him like that," May said quietly. She strode to Ash's side, and scooped the baby up. She glanced at the sleeping trainer, smiled, and draped a blanket over his body.

May sat on her own side of the bed, a still-energetic Pichu in her hands. May closed her eyes, and began to sing a lullabye to the baby. Pichu's eyes began to droop, and, finally, fell asleep. May gently laid the baby in between herself and Ash. "Goodnight, both of you," she whispered, turning off the light on the lamp next to her.

---

The next morning, the humans are still asleep, so we focus our attention to the Pokemon. Charizard is still there on the cliff, asleep. Sceptile was getting ticked, one, because of Charizard, and, two, Blaziken has now resorted to ignoring him.

Feraligatr, feeling guilty for the latter problem, patted his friend on the back sympathetically(There are more fish in the sea, you know. So, uh, why go for a fire-type?)

This remark ticked Sceptile off even more. Before he can think of a comeback, a yawn was heard. Charizard the rebel has just woken up. The latter didn't even notice them until Feraligatr and Sceptile approached.

Feraligatr(Hey, there.)

Charizard scratched the back of his neck(Are you talking to me?)

Feraligatr(Don't you remember me? You know, a playful dancing little-)

Charizard(Nope.) Feraligatr bowed his head. The former turned to the other one(And who might you be?)

Sceptile(Someone who doesn't like it when his trainer is attacked!)

Charizard narrowed his eyes. Obviously, he is still in a bad mood(Who are you to question other Pokemon's ways of greeting their trainer?)

The two Pokemon looked at each other with deadly stares. Then they launched insults against each other. You don't need me to tell who's speaking who:

(Dragon-fake!)

(King-wannabe!)

(Bad smoke-breath!)

(Cheap ninja!)

(Bat-wings!)

(Fern-for-tails!)

Feraligatr stepped in between the two(Uh, guys, maybe we shouldn't-)

The two Pokemon looked at him and they both said the same thing(Keep out of this, Godzilla-clone!)

The shouting awakened the other Pokemon from their slumber. The large group belonging to our heroes(including J2's, with the exception of Meowth), diuvided into two to restrain the Pokemon. An exception is Toxicroak, who was just watching with interest, and Feraligatr, who stood between Charizard and Sceptile.

Just then, Brock, with Pikachu and She-chu, arrived from the hotel, carrying a large tray of food to feed the Pokemon. He stood, perplexed, at the sight.

"Oh, boy. This can't be good... The competition isn't even starting, and they're not even in it, yet they're already having a rumble!" To stop the commotion, Brock and Pikachu stood next to Feraligatr, also trying to hold the Pokemon back. At this point the others arrived, minus Ash and May.

---

The verbal battle only stopped when Ash and May arrived, two hours later. Partly because Sceptile has calmed down now that Ash has arrived. Ash turned angrily towards Charizard. "Don't you ever get along with anyone?"

Charizard turned away, hiding his shame. After all, he still respects Ash(sort of). But, somehow, Ash lost his respect for Charizard. Ash walked away, his Pokemon looking on in embarassment. "Come on, Primeape, Heracross, we've got some training to do before the first round begins."

The two fighting-types looked at each other, then at the Pokemon.

Swellow(Go on. We've got these two covered.)

As Ash, Heracross and Primeape left, both Charizard and Sceptile relaxed, and so did their restraints. However, they took one last look at each other, and sulked off to two different ends of the park.

---

The group of Pokemon trainers are now eating a late breakfast, at 10:00 A.M. Ash had packed some lunch for himself and his fighting-types, and already left for Anthony's gym, which the latter permitted Ash to train in.

"Here, May," Brock said, handing a bottle to May. It is full of... "Formula. That should keep that baby Pichu healthy. I'll give you the recipe later..."

"Thanks, Brock." May immediately fed her Pichu the formula, via a dropper. Meanwhile, Hikari looked on in interest.

"Hey, guys, take a close look at the Pichu," she suggested. Puzzled, everyone did tak a closer look.

"So?" Jessie inquired.

"Now take a closer look at the other Pichu." Then they realised what Hikari was pointing about. May's Pichu's color is slightly deeper than its older siblings. Pichu stared at one curious onlooker to the next, sucking from the dropper, wondering why they are looking at him for.

Ouch, bad exchange between trainer and arrogant Charizard. Looks like Charizard went over the edge for this little scheme. The censored description, the inner clothings? I don't know but hope your just talking about that... And wow, Charizard is getting on everyone's nerve today! And a shinny Pichu? Lucky May and Ash! Can't wait to see what happens with Charizard next chapter!

'Fine. DISCLAIMER: The "clips" I'm going to use in this episode belongs to the Pokemon franchise. There. Happy?'

'Quite... Anyway, it contains Ash- and Charizard-bashing.'

EF35:Clip Show

The group was marvelling at the discovery of a shiny Pokemon. The other Pichus also looked at their youngest sibling in interest. May smiled, and, after Pichu finished the formula, she set him down to play with his older siblings. Meanwhile, Brock, who was pondering about the quarrel before, snapped his fingers.

"Oh, now I realise why Charizard acts like the way he is: stubborn, hotheaded and impulsive." Everyone looked at him curiously, so the breeder explained. "But first, visuals. Curtains, please..."

A Pichu is seen onscreen, and pulls a string dangling from the top. The Pichu, string and all, dropped down to reveal a "classroom scene" from above. In the said scene, everyone, plus some mentioned Pokemon(Charizard, Sceptile and Feraligatr) are sitting on student desks, and Brock is standing in front of them, professor attire and all.

Brock pointed a ruler to the blackboard behind him, and it turned into a movie screen.

Feraligatr(We're watching a movie? I should've brought popcorn!)

Sceptile slapped the Big Jaw to the back of his head. Charizard only rolled his eyes, as Meowth turned to face them. "Ssssh," he hissed. "This could be interesting..."

"AHEM!" Brock cleared his throat. "Anyways, to the topic at hand..." The movie screen lit up and it showed the numbers: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Then the word START...

Brock rummaged around his grad's coat, and everyone facefaulted when they saw him take out a remote. "Heh, heh, sorry, I forgot..." The teacher pointed the remote to the screen, and finally a video began to play.

It is about early in the Kanto season. Ash, Brock and Misty were walking in the woods, lost as usual. Then they spotted a small rise in the middle of the road, and on top of it, is...

Charizard(Me?!) Feraligatr and Sceptile looked at him quizzically.

"As a Charmander," Meowth finished.

"Correct, Meowth," Brock said, in a tone of a college professor. The scene continued with Ash failing to catch the Charmander, as the latter whipped the Pokeball back at him. "Note Charmander. The basic form of our Charizard, right over there." Brock froze the picture where Charmander's face is clearly seen. "Notice the vacant, innocent look. A perfectly naive Pokemon..."

Charizard crossed his arms as Sceptile and Feraligatr snickered.(I was NOT that NAIVE!)

"Carrying on," Brock said. The scene changes to that in a "deserted" island. Ash and co. have been separated from their Pokemon.

May raised a hand, and Brock pointed at her. "Yes, May, what is it?"

"What exactly are you trying to prove?"

"You'll see in a moment..."

The scene flashes to a group of the Pokemon at some sort of foodstand, ran by a Slowbro. The sequence brought tears to Meowth's eyes. 'Ah, the sweet memories...' Meowth sneezed loudly on a hanky that was handed to him by a Pichu. Coincidentally, crying could be heard in the scene as well, as it was Ekans and Koffing crying. The ones trying to cheer the two Pokemon are Pikachu and...

"I remember it pretty well that it was you who was trying to console my pals," Meowth interrupted, turning back to Charizard again. "I forgot how empathetic you are..."

Charizard huffed, obviously embarassed. Sceptile had an uncharacteristically big grin, hoping that what was being shown would be useful in the future. Feraligatr, meanwhile, was drooping off to sleep, obviously not interested, or just too lazy.

"Let's pause for a moment," Brock said suddenly, and the scene stops to Charizard(-mander) being Licked in the face by Haunter. The scene got into Charizard's nerves, that he used Flamethrower on the movie screen. Fortunately, Brock had Sawmpert counter with Hydro Pump, so the screen was safe. "Now, tell me, from all the clips I've shown you, whay have you all learned?"

"That this is just some stupid 'author's passing the time' filler," James complained, yawning.

'I resent that...'

'Shut up.'

"Maybe you're right, James, but, no. Anyone else?"

Jack raised a hand. "The Charmander from before was completely different from what he is now? Did I get that right, Professor?"

Broick sighed. "Let me rewind." The movie rewinded back to Charmander's first appearance. "Charmander, from the point of him being the cute and naive Pokemon," Brock forwarded the scene again, this time stopping at a clip of Charmander glowing, "to this."

Charmeleon appeared, and everyone flinched when Charmeleon charred Ash for the very first time. "Now, my analysis, for anyone who didn't get it..."

'About time,' Jessie told herself impatiently.

"Charmander is easily the most naive of the Kanto starters Ash obtained. Squirtle is a bit impulsive right from the start, and Bulbasaur, stubborn from the start as well."

Charizard turned away(I'm not listening to this anymore...)

Sceptile and Feraligatr grabbed both of Charizard's arms, holding the Flame Pokemon in place(Oh, no, you don't. I like where this is going...)

"Anyways, since Charmander is the most naive, he is the most innocent as well."

(Really? I was that innocent?)

"Meaning, he needs a role model to look up to(maybe literally). So, guess who he got?" Brock took out another videotape, popped the first one out of a video player, then pressed PLAY on the remote again.

The first clip shows Ash running downwards in a dark, stadium-like area, towards a large battle between Pokemon and their doubles. It ends when our hero gets into the crossfire of two Psychic attacks. The second clip has him running towards an electric cage, inside of which is Moltres. The third, Ash is running, again, this time towards a barrier surrounding the Unown. The fourth has Ash running(now, why didn't that surprise me?) and then jumping towards what looks like a monster made out of trees.

Everytime Ash makes contact, everyone flinches. Brock freezes the tape at Ash having a usual verbal bout with Misty. "There's more where that came from, but I think I made my point.

"Ash means well, but he can also be," Brock opened up a computer and logged into the internet, and goes to Bulbapedia, "stubborn and unskilled, and hot-tempered, to boot."

Charizard(I wasn't that unskilled!)

"Oh, really?" Meowth asked him. "Er, Professor Brock, do you have that clip of the 'Burning Ambition' episode?"

Charizard got free of Sceptile's and Feraligatr's hold and tried to strangle Meowth(Oh, NO! Don't you dare show THAT!)

Brock sensed Charizard's fury, but continued. "As a matter of fact, that was the next clip I'm gonna show." The movie started again, and it shows Ash and co. walking in some sort of valley. Charizard is trying to get away again, but his two rivals kept him in place.

Ash meets Lisa, and Charizard meets Charla. Lisa decides to take Ash and co. to the Charicific Valley, and suggests that Ash ride with his own Charizard. The latter part was not easy, as Ash's Charizard somehow had a hard time flying(now why is that?) in the air with Ash riding him.

Sceptile(Must be overweight.)

Feraligatr(You mean Ash?)

Sceptile(No, Charizard...)

Charizard(Shut up!) He crossed his arms.(What's the point of this clipshow anyway?)

Ash and Charizard(after much difficulty) finally landed at the front gate of the Charicific Valley, where Brock, Misty and Lisa are all waiting for them. When Charizard landed(not so gracefully, that raised a lot of laughs with Feraligatr and Sceptile), he was breathing so heavily that he looked like he ran a marathon.

Charizard(You think that was funny?!)

Sceptile was also out of breath, only his is from laughing.(Oh, yeah, it was a HOOT!)

Feraligatr couldn't agree more. They motioned for Brock to continue, much to Charizard's annoyance. The rest of the clips infuriated Charizard even more. It showed him challenging the more experienced(and also larger) Charizard in the valley. All attempts were met with humiliating defeat to Charizard, which had resulted more laughs for the other Stage 2s.

Brock cleared his throat to get everyone's attention again. "Anyways... As you see here, Charizard shows that he is a lot like Ash in his younger years, exhibiting his once greatest weakness: trying to challenge without even thinking. Class dismissed..."

Pikachu, on Swellow, flew across the screen from down upwards, showing the previous scene at the park.

"So you're saying Ash imprinted in Charmander those traits? That's why Charizard acts the way he is now?" Hikari concluded.

"Yup. That about sums it up," Brock told her. He turned to Charizard, who is still the subject of jokes from Sceptile and Feraligatr.

"Then, what is the point, Big Twerp?" Meowth asked, annoyed. "We could've figured it out ourselves, you know..."

""Eh, I just thought to explain my theories to you all... Maybe then we can figure out how to get these two back together," Brock finished, jerking a thumb in Charizard's direction and the other in the direction where Ash left earlier. Brock turned to Charizard. "I hate to say this, but you seem to have lost Ash's respect, pal. And right when he needs you the most."

Charizard was startled at the breeder's last words(Wait. Is there something anyone didn't tell me?!).

"You've been out of the loop for a very long time, buddy," Meowth confirmed for him grimly.

CONTINUED...
-Charizard didn't know about Ash's wager back then. All there is on his mind was a wedding and CAKE!
-No previews, again. It's time to get away from filler-ville and get on with the Cup.
-I lost how many times I broke the 4th wall here...

-I'm losing reviewers again!
First is Primeape, then followed by Aipom, find out who's next!
EF36: Get Ready to Rumble!

Just as the 'Merry Twerps' dismissed class, Ash is in Anthony's gym. He's concentrating hard on training Heracross and Primeape so he can take his mind off Charizard.

Heracross is running, exercising his lower body, on a treadmill, while Primeape is working on a corkscrew Mega Punch on a punching bag, held in place by Ash himself. The trainer was so lost in thought that he doesn't even react to the painful recoil of the bag every time the Pig Monkey hits it.

After ten minutes of the same workouts, Ash called for a break. He took out a special feed Brock gave him earlier, to reinvigorate the fighting-types. Primeape seems to be on good terms with Heracross, as he is seen sharing his own food with the Singlehorn. Ash just sat in front of them, eating the lunch May prepared for him. Just then, he feels a light tug on his jacket. He turned around, and saw Pichu, smiling up at him.

"Hey, there, Pichu, what are you doing here? Where's May?" Ash picked up the little baby. Just then May walked in, a worried look on her face.

"Pichu," she said worriedly. "Don't run off like that." She stooped towards Ash, and picked Pichu up.

However, Pichu is trying to make a grab for Ash's arms. The latter sighed, and held the baby Pokemon's small arms, shaking it. Pichu seems to like the gesture.

Ash finished playing with Pichu, stood from his sitting position, and stretched. Pichu just stared at Ash admiringly(eyes glowing). Suddenly, Pichu jumped from May's arms to Ash's head! The baby grabbed onto the bill of Ash's cap, right in front of our hero!

Startled, the couple were frantically trying to get the little mouse to get down. "Pichu, get down from there," May said uneasily, her hands below the dangling Pokemon.

Pichu wouldn't let go. Ash, also concerned, was trying to pry Pichu off his hat, but the baby would just cry as May pulled on him. When Pichu is safely in her arms again, May just realised why the baby is acting like the way he is.

"Ash, I think Pichu wants your," May glanced over Ash's head, "hat..." Pichu, in May's arms, is trying to make a grab for, what is indeed, Ash's hat.

Ash put on a goofy face, and tilted his eyes upwards, looking at the rim of his hat. He sighed, took it off, and placed it on Pichu's own head, which was 'how many times I don't know', too big for him. Thought hey couldn't see its face, Ash and May could hear the baby's glee for getting the hat.

Ash smiled. "Great, We get another Pokemon who likes hats." Primeape sneezed, as Ash winked at him. Then he looked at the time. "Oh, no! I'm gonna be late! Come on, guys, let's go!" Ash left May and Pichu behind, closely followed by his Pokemon.

May sighed again, but she smiled as Pichu's head finally got out of the hat. The Pichu smiled at her, and waved Ash's hat in front of her.

---

All the humans have left for the stadium, to watch the opening ceremony of the Bruno's Cup. This leaves all the Pokemon behind in the park. There were no more squabbles between Charizard and Sceptile. The latter is now trying to get on Blaziken's good side, while the former is lost in thought, just staring blankly at the sea.

Feraligatr and Swellow are busy entertaining Pikachu's large family, by giving them a ride. Jessie's Seviper(whose poisonous tail was buried on the ground, so as to prevent accidents), was letting her long body to be used as a slide. Wobuffet, meanwhile, was teaching the rest of the Pichus a little crazy habit of putting one hand over their head, a contorted grimace, and saying "That's the way it is".

Much to Meowth's chagrin, Wobuffet was sucessful, and after a few minutes, all the Pichu have a hand over their heads, saying "Pi Pi Cha!" (which is in the same tone as Wobuffet says his own name). This caused Meowth to try kicking Wobuffet, but instead got Countered in the process.

Pikachu, who also stayed behind, walked towards Charizard, who wasn't even noticing that a Pichu was playing around with his tail. The Electric Mouse looked down at his feet, not knowing what to say. But it was Charizard who spoke first. And it wasn't the usual booming voice.

(Why would he do such a thing? Doesn't he even care what happens to all of... Us?)

Pikachu(He talked it over with all of us. Ash said it himself that he doesn't want to lose any of us.)

Charizard didn't speak until he stretched his wings. He flew upwards, and Pikachu wondered where he's going. Charizard(I'm going someplace to think for a while.) The gust that picked up when the Pokemon took off blew a cinder in Pikachu's eyes. When Pikachu opened them again, Charizard is gone.

---

May squeezed past the large crowd surrounding the stadium, all going inside. She held Pichu closer so the little Pokemon won't get dragged off. Just then she accidentally bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" May exclaimed.

The other person turned around, and it turns out to be Shinji! The latter just grunted, "Don't bother," as May heard a call above the buzz of the crowd.

"May!" It was Hikari. The blue-haired coordinator made her way towards May and Shinji. Only then did Hikari recognize who's beside her friend. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. 'I Always go for the Strongest' trainer."

Shinji just grunted and looked away in response as Hikari continued. "Don't tell me you're here for the Cup as well."

"What do you care?" Shinji responded in his usual tone.

A nerve in Hikari's temple twitched. To ignore it, she grabbed May's hand. "Come on, May, let's get to our seats before we catch his illness."

Shinji frowned at the two departing coordinators. "Girls. BAH!" He walked off in the different direction, towards the locker rooms inside the stadium.

---

Unsurprisingly(like their odd jobs in certain regional league arcs) J2 are having a sucess selling their food merchandise to the spectators of the Bruno's Cup. Brock himself ordered some fastfood from them, and he liked it.

Anyway, the opening ceremonies went well. The competitors are shocked to hear that Cianwood Gym leader Chuck is also entering the competition.

All the competitors(the largest number out of all the Elite Cups) are divided into eight blocks. And now here we go again with the rules for the 1st round:

1) Each block has ten competitors each.

2) The arena, which is a fashioned 40x40 wrestling ring, allows a new rule to the battle: other than knocking out their opponent's Pokemon, a competitor eliminates his opponents by throwing them out of the ring.

3)The 2-pokemon rule also applies a restriction:

-A trainer can use only one Pokemon per battle. After that, the trainer must alternate with his second Pokemon, if he advances.

4) The first round is an over the top rope battle royal. The trainer whose Pokemon stays in the ring will advance to the second round.

Ash, Jack and Donald, all in separate blocks(fortunately), exchanged good luck wishes.

Jack's block is up first. His opponents are a Medicham, two Hitmonlees, a Combusken, a Primeape, three Hariyama and Machoke, while he will be using his own Machoke.

The obvious one with the advantage is Medicham, since she is part-psychic. The Meditate Pokemon used her Psychic to send off five of her opponents, eliminating them. But Jack's Machoke saved himself from elimination, and, by using the rope as a catapult, launched himself towards the psychic-type, eliminating her. This left Machoke to deal with a Hitmonlee and Combusken.

---

Back in the secret hospital, Drake walks into a private room. Only one patient is there: Giovanni. Drake sat down on a chair he pulled beside the bed. After three days, the Rocket Boss still hasn't recovered from his wounds, yet he is now conscious. Gio didn't seem surprised ot wake up and find Drake there.

"How're you feeling?" Drake asked in a friendly tone.

Giovanni tried to smile, but even that simple motion caused him to cringe. "I feel like a million Pokebucks' worth of coins just hit my head."

Drake shook his head. "I don't want to alarm you, but the police has confined most of your Rockets. Except for three."

Giovanni smiled inwardly. "I know who you're talking about. They make lousy criminals anyway." 'I just hope they won't fail me on the last mission I gave them...'

Drake must have sensed what Gio was thinking. "As a matter of fact, they're right here on this island, still following Ash and his friends."

Giovanni closed his eyes and grunted, as if to say, "Good."

Drake continued. "I met the Slowking from the Shamouti Island earlier. He already told me of Ash's part in all this." Drake took in his breath as he continued. "Do you think it's all a coincidence? Between Mask and Ash?"

Giovanni shook his head, though he had difficulty due to the bandages around his head. "Maybe, or maybe not." Gio looked up at the ceiling. "Mask has defeated the Elite Four almost fifteen years from now. And now, Ash is following in his footsteps, being the first to defeat two of your colleagues after Mask."

Drake put his chin on his hand, also lost in thought. "We'll just have to see how far the boy will go into this competition." Gio nodded, and Drake turned on the T.V. in front of the bed. The broadcast shows the first block battle royal ending with Jack's Machoke as winner. The second block will now be Ash's.

---

"Good luck, Ash," Jack said as they passed each other in the corridor. Ash gave him a thumbs-up as he headed into the ring. As Jack entered the locker room, we see Shinji(whose block will be after Ash's) walking out.

Ash walked into the arena into tremendous applause. Obviously, the news of him already defeating two Elites earned him quite a reputation. Also, Ash notices Charizard, perched high above the roof of the arena(it's open-aired). Ash frowned at his Pokemon, and they never left their eyes for each other for a second. After that, Ash walked to his spot between two Blackbelts.

The referee, whistled for the trainers to get out their Pokemon.

"Go, Primeape!" Ash, from his Pokeball, called out his Pig Monkey Pokemon. The other contenders are a Machamp, two Monferno, A Hitmontop, a second Primeape(which has a red bandana around its entire head), a shiny Hitmonlee, two Poliwrath and a Breloom.

"Second Block," the referee announced, raising his hands, "BEGIN!"

Primeape chose to go after Breloom first.

"Primeape, use Mega Kick!" Ash ordered. Primeape jumped high into the air, and sent his best foot downwards towards the grass-type. Breloom countered with a Slam to block the kick. The Slam suceeded, and sent Primeape flying backwards, hitting one of the Poliwrath in the process, who was fighting against the Hitmonlee. The Poliwrath was stunned, and Hitmonlee took this chance to Vital Throw him out of the ring.

---

Brock was stuffing himself with the second order of french fries he bought from J2. "Man, these are good." He passed the tray to Hikari, who was beside him. "You should try it."

Hikari sweatdropped, and shook her head. "Maybe later..."

Just then Brock took notice of Pichu, who's on May's lap, and using Ash's hat like a baby with his blankie. "First Primeape, then followed by Aipom, and now Pichu. It never fails," Brock said with a snicker.

May patted Pichu's head. "Must be a tradition."

Jessie, serving drinks two rows below them, thought, 'Yeah. A serial tradition. The twerp should get it trademarked.'

Anyway, back to the battle...

Hitmonlee is a non-stop fighting machine, eliminating the other Poliwrath and one of the Monferno from play. Meanwhile, Ash's Primeape is being barraged by Rolling Kicks from Hitmontop. Primeape, from beneath the kicks, grabbed one of his opponent's feet to stop the spin. Primeape threw Hitmontop over the rope, but the latter used the rope to jump back in for a Hi-Jump Kick. Primeape ducked, just in time. Hitmontop missed, but kept on going past the opposite side, eliminating himself because of the dangerous attack.

The other Primeape is now going at it against the Breloom from before, exchanging punches with him. Breloom delivered a Headbutt to Primeape's gut, sending the latter reeling. Primeape countered with a Mega Punch, and then a Seismic Toss. The other Pokemon had to duck as Primeape was spinning Breloom around by the tail. The release from the attack sent Breloom flying towards the spectators.

After eliminating his opponent, the second Primeape looked around for his next victim. The Monferno to his right caught his eye, and starts charging towards him for a Thrash. The other monkey Pokemon leapt over the larger Pokemon's head, but Primeape caught his leg in midleap, and easily used another Seismic Toss to eliminate Monferno.

Primeape now has his eyes set on the 2nd Primeape. however, the Machamp grabbed Primeape in a 4-handed choke hold. The Pig Monkey struggled to get free, but Machamp just squeezed him tighter. Primeape spun vertically to deliver a Rolling Kick from behind. Machamp, in close proximity, wasn't able to evade. As Machamp released his foe, Primeape delivered a Focus Punch to the Superpower's gut. Machamp, leaning on the rope clutching his stomach, fell backwards for elimination.

This leaves the two Primeape and the Shiny Hitmonlee to fight. The latter of the three went for a Rolling Kick, hitting both Pig Monkeys. Hitmonlee catapulted from the rope, and launched himself forward for another attack. As if working together, the Primeapes grabbed both of Hitmonlee's feet, and together they launched him out of the ring.

The two Primeapes are now left standing in the middle of the ring. The 2 Pokemon were just there, having a staring match for almost a minute. The whole stadium was silent. From above, Charizard eyed the two Pokemon in interest, also not breaking the silence.

Finaly, both Primeapes moved in for Mega Punches. Both attacks hit, and both Pokemon were flying backwards. Ash's Primeape was the first to recover, and dug his hands deep into the ring floor to stop the recoil. Then, using the same arm as a catapult, launched himself towards the other Primeape for another Mega Punch.

But the other Primeape was ready. He used Detect, and caught the punch in between his hands. Primeape was tossed above the former's head for a Vital Throw. It looked like Ash's Primeape was going to be eliminated when he was over the rope, but Primeape grabbed the said rope, preventing himself from falling to the other side. The other Primeape was quickly gaining on Ash's, ready to finish him off. Primeape jumped, using the rope as a catapult(they use that move a lot!), high above top the other side, behind the charging Primeape. Ash's Primeape used Take Down, catching the latter in surprise. Both of them went over the top rope, but Ash's Primeape grabbed the rope again. The other Primeape, grabbed his opponent, to keep himself from falling.

Both Pokemon were now dangerously close to eliminating themselves. Ash's Primeape kept backhanding the other one, who was right behind him. Just then, Ash's primeape had an idea. He used his own feet to trip his opponent backwards. The larger Primeape became unblanced, and fell backwards. The referee signalled the end of the match with the ring of a bell.

"Trainer Ash advances to the second round," the ref called.

Ash jumped from the crowd's cheer, and ran over to his Primeape. "Nice job, buddy!" Remembering something, Ash looked upwards. He saw that Charizard is gone(back to the park). Ash had no time to think about Charizard, as all his first round opponents came over to congratulate him and Primeape.

Amidst the larger trainers, Ash turned in the direction of his friends. They were with the rest of the crowd in the applause. May and Pichu waved both of their arms towards Ash, and Ash waved back.

---

The third block is about to begin. Ash, back in the locker room, was greeted in congratulations by Jack and Donald. The latter is about to get ready for his own match. Ash and Jack called their good lucks to Donald as he left. Ash then notices that Shinji, who kept away from them, walk out as well.

Ash frowned at the departing second trainer. "Donald's going against Shinji. That can't be good," he told Jack. "That can't be good."

"You know him?" the other trainer inquired.

"Yeah. But not on friendly terms," Ash replied.

---

The 3rd block went on with Donald and Shinji, with Hariyama and Infernape, respectively, eliminating opponents like crazy. In just a few minutes, it was left to the two Pokemon.

Donald had Hariyama use Cross Chop on Infernape. Shinji's Pokemon blocked it with Detect. The latter trainer used Infernape's long arms and legs to deliver blows without getting close to Hariyama. The latter tried Arm Thrust, but was met with Reversal, getting knocked backwards. Infernape finished off his opponent with Flare Blitz, sending both Pokemon out of the ring. But, after a slow-motion replay, it was clearly shown that Hariyama touched the ground first, so it was Shinji who advances to the second round!

---

Ash and friends tried to cheer Donald up, but was not necessary. Donald accepts his loss in defeat. However, Shinji only had this to say, which just infuriated Ash.

"You waste your time training your Pokemon, and still you lose. How pathetic."

Ash made violent advances towards his rival, but Donald and Jack held him back. "Don't bother with it, Ash," Donald assured his friend. "He's not worth it."

CONTINUED...
-Wobuffet teaches the Pichus a little catchphrase! It is a literal meaning of his own Japanese name.
-HEADS UP: (more AdvanceShipping, but it may be cliche) Spoiler:- 37 preview:

After a few seconds, it was Ash who spoke first. If you call it speak...

"AAAAAHHHH!" Ash, red in the face, turned around as May reacted on her own.

I had life to attend too, so sorry for not reviewing sooner. Charizard's personality is finally revealed to be Ash's fault. The fourth wall is broken so many times that it is small enough to be eaten by a Pichu. So SPichu is the next hat stealer, there is alway one... Giovanni is alive and it looks like Mask took on the challenge of the Elite Four like Ash is doing now. If Mask is Ash father, I will so do the classic Star War mockery. I wonder what Ash walked into...

The rest of the first round went on into the night. And so, Ash and co. find themselves staying up late again! Over a very late dinner, Ash and the other two discussed about Shinji to the others. Neither one of them approved of the trainer's attitude. Brock had only this to say:

"His way of treating his Pokemon will be bound to get to him someday. Until then, we should just ignore him."

Meanwhile, the Pokemon were all sleeping soundly together. Pikachu was mildly surprised that, after Charizard returned, there was no more bitter exchange between him and Sceptile(for now).

Feraligatr(Let's be grateful. I don't want to see a forest fire again, that's for sure.)

---

May walked into her and Ash's room at one in the morning. She put Pichu on the bed. "Stay there, okay? I'll just be taking a bath, then we'll go to sleep," she told the baby Pokemon. May walked into the bathroom, Pichu looking on after her. Ash's hat was still with the baby, and is using it like a cape or something.

Minutes later, the sound of a shower could be heard from the bathroom.

'Again, Meowth, why do you have to comment on a scene where you're not even in it?'

'May I suggest something to the great authori-twerp, to make it more interesting?' Meowth whispered some things into my ear, with a devilish glint in his eyes.

I thought for a moment. 'Hmm, that is interesting, although it's cliche. Now, scat before I remove you from the script!'

And so I put Meowth's nosebleed-causing scenario into play...

While she is in the bathroom, May just absently washed her hair as she is in the shower. After ten minutes, she turned the showerhead off, took a towel from a nearby rack, and wrapped it around her body. She then imagines how later would she have to sleep, as Pichu remains restless.

Outside their room, Ash appeared, yawning, ready to hit the hay himself. But when he opened the door to his room, the first thing he saw was May, only just preparing to dress herself for bed(meaning no clothes!). The two just stared at each other, speechless, while Pichu looked from one parent to the next, oblivious to what's happening.

After a few seocnds, it was Ash who spoke first. If you call it speak...

"AAAAAHHHH!" Ash, red in the face, turned around as May reacted on her own.

"ASH!"

The two turned around away from each other, while their neighbors came out of their rooms to see what's happening. May frantically lifted the bed's blanket and covered the front of her body, and Pichu, on the blanket, slipped onto the floor. Pichu banged his head on the floor and began to cry. May almost fell herself as she scooped to soothe the baby.

"Ash, you should have knocked!" May said angrily.

"I-I'm r-r-really sorry, May," Ash said apologetically, still facing outside. Even though she couldn't see his face, May could tell that Ash is beet red, just as she is. "I'll b-be going!"

Ash, without facing May, ran out of the room.

---

Ash skidded to a halt right outside the hotel. He was back in the park. The others have already turned in, so only the Pokemon are there.

All Pokemon activity stopped at the sight of Ash. Even the more serious Pokemon(Sceptile and Charizard) were curious at Ash's weird expression. Steam seems to be coming out of Ash's red face.

Torkoal(Hey! That's my ability!)

Only Meowth was not surprised at Ash's arrival. Gee, I wonder why...

---

May woke up early the next morning, if you can call it sleep. She actually didn't. She was too busy calming down her Pichu, and thinking about Ash the whole night. When May opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Pichu, sitting upright, right beside her.

The baby was looking towards Ash's side of the bed, which was...

'Empty?' May asked herself, as she sat up. 'He didn't sleep in?' May picked up Pichu and held him closer to her, worried about Ash.

---

Brock walked out of the hotel at 6:00 A.M., carrying the usual feed to the Pokemon. The first thing he saw is Ash, sleeping on an outdoor table, accompanied by several concerned Pokemon.

She-chu, with Pikachu, was fanning out some smoke from Torkoal, both right beside the sleeping Ash. The smoke was used to warm up the area around Ash, so he can't catch a cold. The two Electric Mice's heads were drooping, while Torkoal was asleep himself.

Brock prodded his friend awake. "Wha-? What time is it?" Ash spoke groggily. He stretched and yawned just as the two Pikachus fell on their backs, finally succumbing to slumber.

"You slept here all night, Ash? What are you, nuts?" Brock inquired just as May arrived.

"Whatever you do, don't ask me what happened last night," Ash said, stern but still droopy.

"I don't want to know," Brock answered, but there's the usual glint under the squint again.

May placed Pichu right beside its natural parents. The baby was curious about the two of them, while May crossed her arms, standing behind Ash. "Why did you sleep right here, Ash? Why didn't you return to our room?"

Ash turned in his seat to face her, and then shifted his gaze to Brock. Taking his cue, the breeder walked away.

Ash slumped his head back onto the table. "I'm really sorry, May. I should've knocked before coming in..."

May sat beside him. "I know you don't mean what happened, Ash."

Ash raised his head again. "You don't? Why?"

May smiled at him. "You're not exactly the type to like that sort of thing, Ash. Or are you?" she added, her eyes shifting.

Ahs shook his head rapidly. "Of course not, May!"

May giggled. "I know you don't."

"I really don't, May, I swear," Ash repeated. "I-I- A-a-ACHOOO!" Ash sneezed so loud that all the Pokemon woke up with a start(Sceptile's awakening was accompanied by a fall from the branch he was on). Pikachu and She-chu also woke up with a start, and Torkoal, right in front of Ash, woke when he felt some sort of slime splatter his face.

The Coal Pokemon burst into tears, again(Waaah! What is this stuff?!)

Ash scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Torkoal," he apologized to his Pokemon while May shook her head. Minutes later, Torkoal is being sprayed all over by Empoleon's, Squirtle's and Swampert's Hydro Pumps to decontaminate the poor Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Sceptile is looking around for his twig, which he lost when he fell from the tree. Then he eyed Munchlax, who is running towards him, away from some Pichus. The Big Eater is carrying a large tray of sweets over his head, and the Pichus must be chasing him for it.

As Munchlax passed Sceptile, the Forest Pokemon grabbed the tray out of the smaller Pokemon's hands. (Learn to share, buddy.) Sceptile lay the tray on the ground for the Pichus to get their hands on.

Munchlax looked on, defeated. But then he saw something he can retaliate with. (Oh, sharing, huh? Like you're sharing your twig with them?)

Puzzled, Sceptile looked where Munchlax was pointing to. What he saw made his jaw drop. Two Pichus are playing a sort of tug-of-war, and were using Sceptile's lost twig! Sceptile immediately ran over.

(He-he-HEY! Give me that! I've been looking for that!) Startled, the Pichus pulled harder, and the twig broke in two, much to the Forest Pokemon's despair! Sceptile, jaws still on the ground, picked up the pieces of his twig.

The Pichus just placed a hand over their heads, put on a funny grimace, a zigzag smile, and said "Pi Pi Cha!" (That's the way it is!)

Sceptile just continued to gawk at them, while Meowth, nearby, shook his head disapprovingly. "Terrific. Those are their first words? Really useful, buddy. Really," he said to his companion sarcastically.

"Wobbuffet!"

Now it was the Pichu's turn to be chased, by Sceptile. The babies found sanctuary in a just awakened Charizard. The large Pokemon stretched, and, using his feet, slid the baby Pokemon behind him away from Sceptile.

Sceptile huffed in embarassment(I'm not going to harm them. I'm just going to- Uh-) Sceptile gave Charizard a grimace, then sulked away.

Charizard gave the Pichus a thumbs up and a wink(Try not to get on his nerves too much, okay?)

The Pichus again made with the Wobuffet face and said "Pi Pi Cha!"(need I translate?). Then they ran off again. This time they want to bother Feraligatr.

Charizard sweatdropped, but just raised his eyebrows and shook his head in amusement(Kids...)

---

Ash decided to sleep back in his hotel room, to try to relieve his cold. His second round match would be taking place after lunch anyway. At breakfast, Hikari had something to announce. She said that the next bot heading to mainland Johto will be leaving in an hour.

"This break's been nice, but I've got to get back to Kanto for my Contests conquest. Tell Ash I bid him good luck, okay? And May, make sure he doesn't do any more stupid stunts," she added with a smile.

"I promise," May replied.

Jill had an idea. "Oh, yeah, I remember something. I was wondering, May, if you heard about the exhibitional contest that's going to be held here on the island?"

May, a bit startled, suddenly let go of Pichu, who dropped onto Ash's hat, on her lap, it was still holding. "Y-yes. I heard about it." Brock looked at her in concern, but May continued. "It's supposed to be held right after the Cup, right?"

Jill nodded. "And first prize, aside from a Special Ribbon, is a Coordinator's Dream full designer wardrobe. Perfect for wearing to Contest appeals. Why don't we join? It will be fun!"

May stared at her feet. If she were to enter the Contest, what if she loses again? Right in front of Ash? "I- I don't know..."

Just then, May felt a hand on her shoulder. "You should go try it out, May," Brock said. "Maybe after travelling with Ash again, you may get inspired again."

"You're right, Brock, maybe I will," May said cheerfully. But deep inside she thinks of how Ash would react if he found out about her streak.

Brock must have read what's on her mind. "I'm sure Ash will understand. Besides, knowing him, he will try to help you train in the Contest rather than be angry with you."

May imagined Ash doing just that, and smiled again. Her confidence in Contests seems to be returning. Pichu, meanwhile, was being offered by Pikachu some ketchup in his icecream. The baby just stared as his natural father poured the condiment onto the bowl containing Pichu's frozen sweet. Pichu dipped one of his hands into the mess, and placed it in his mouth. The baby's expression tells it all: he doesn't fall far from the yellow tree!

So SPichu(That will be my nickname to May and Ash's Pichu.) is enjoying the same ketchup as our little yellow friend. Meowth has a knack to break the fourth wall, in the anime as well. The bath screen, the classic anime screen. More Pokemon madness and more May sadness...

-Pichu goes over the top(literally) for his fetish for Ash's hat.
-Here's where knowledge in gender differences take center stage.
EF38: Peripheral Pains

May walked into her room. She found Ash still asleep, on the bed. Pichu jumped from her arms onto the bed and playfully placed the Ash's hat over his head, in a crookedly humorous way. May shook her head and sat beside the sleeping trainer.

Ash woke up at half before noon. He's quite startled that the second round is only thirty minutes from now! Ash rose in a start, that Pichu, on Ash's chest, fell over to the side. The baby is still on the bed, so no painful impact, and no crying(thankfully).

"Ack! What time is it?" Ash asked himself again. Pichu suddenly jumped back to Ash's lap as May, who was sleeping beside him, woke.

"Sorry, Ash, I must have dozed off," May said, rubbing her eyes.

Ash doesn't believe it's May's fault. Instead, he quickly rose from bed, and Pichu, was dropped, again. As Ash ran into the bathroom to freshen up, May picked up Pichu, who was fidgeting. It seems that Pichu left Ash's hat back on the trainer's head. After a quick bath, Ash dashed out of the room, out of the hotel, and through the city to the stadium, all in record time.

---

Jack was waiting for him outside the stadium's locker room. Ash stopped right beside him, out of breath. "Oh... Man..." Ash gasped, still breathless. "I've... Got... To stop... Staying up late..."

Jack patted him on the back. "You shouldn't have run, you know, there is still some good ten minutes left." Ash facefaulted, or is it just dropping from exhaustion?

The other trainer stared at the bill of his hat, but it was slightly(or maybe too much) off the side. Ash shrugged, and straightened it out. "Huh? Why is it here? I didn't even notice..."

He and Jack entered the locker room together. The rest of the 1st round winners are already there, including Shinji. Ash and Shinji just exchanged hard stares before the referee walked into the room and get their attention.

"I congratulate you all to getting through the 1st round." The referee walked to a screen to the east wall of the room. He pressed a button, and a small pedestal appeared from the ground, and on it is a bowl.

Ash, as he saw the bowl full of paper, guessed that they have to draw lots, again. And that is indeed the case. The trainers lined up, Ash and Jack sixth and seventh, respectively. Ash drew the number 3, while Jack drew the number 2.

The tournament grid behind the referee lit up, and each slot showed numbers 1 to 8. "Your match lineup will be as follows.

"Same rule as before. You can only use one Pokemon per round, and it always has to alternate between the two.

"I'll call the first contenders in a few minutes. For now, stay here and wait for my signal."

After the referee left, a buzz started among the competitors. Ash quickly turned to Jack. "What number did you get?"

"Two. What about you?"

"Four. That means we'll have to face each other right from the start."

The two rivals shook hands. "Well, I know for a fact that the Pokemon you'll be using will be that Heracross. To make things fair, I'll tell you what I've registered as my second. Come out, old friend!"

From Jack's Pokeball appeared none other than a Lucario! Due to his past encounter with one, Ash, among the many others, was impressed.

However, our hero couldn't hide his dissapointment as this Lucario is nothing like the one he befriended. But Ash still compliments Jack for such a Pokemon.

---

J2 waved May and the others to their spot somewhere near the top bleachers of the arena, 30 feet above ground. The formers have already started on their business.May's Pichu was still fidgeting, since Ash hasn't returned its blankie yet.

"Sorry 'bout the seating arrangements, twerps," James muttered, "but we couldn't get you the ringside seats."

Brock waved it off. "Don't fret about it. At least we can't get any farther from the action."

'I was only saying it because you're older than May,' I retorted, my ears ringing.

'And don't do it again!'

'I'm the author here, why in the world are the characters ordering me around?'

May, puzzled as to who Jessie's talking to, was speechless. But she nodded as answer, while putting a hand over Pichu's head, to stop it from moving around. Jessie smiled. "It would be just like old times, huh? I'm going to enter that Contest, too!"

The group(Jill, her and Jack's siblings, Donald, Brock, May) sat down. What J2 provided them are balcony seats. But they could clearly see the arena below them. May's getting nervous, as Pichu still is fidgeting, trying to find Ash's hat.

"What's wrong with Shiny?" James asked, as he passed May some soda.

"He misses Ash's hat, which he put back on Ash's head earlier," May explained. Pichu is now beggining to squirm, and May began wondering if it would be safe for Pichu right now.

---

The Pokemon in the park are now at the hotel, watching the Cup on the large-screen T.V. in the lobby. Luckily, the hotel allows even unattended Pokemon to roam around the area. The only one missing is Charizard, who was presumed to have returned to his spot at the top of the stadium.

Pikachu(Where's the remote? The match is about to start!)

The others looked around. They found it being sat on by an oblivious Torkoal. Swampert and Feraligatr tackled the Coal Pokemon, much to the latter's dismay, to get the remote. The device slipped from the Water-types' hands. The smooth floor allowed the remote to skid way out of the Pokemon's hands, and, under a door, into the ladies' room close by.

Feraligatr and Swampert looked at each other.

Swampert(You go in.)

Feraligatr(No, you go in.)

Swampert(No, no, you go in.)

Feraligatr(Believe me, I think I've gone through enough of that stuff for a lifetime. You go in.)

They kept shooting the same words towards each other until Pikachu caught up with them. Pikachu(What's taking you guys so long? The match is about to start!) The other two explained what happened. Fear swept across the face of the Electric Mouse.

Pikachu(We've got to get a female here, quick!)

The three returned to the group to discuss their dilemma. All the females volunteered to get the remote from the restroom.

Squirtle was first, but she immediately ran out when the many women inside tried to pinch her for her cuteness. Both Seviper and Blaziken gave it a shot, but they were both mistaken to be male, and were met with aggression.

Wobuffet appeared suddenly, wearing Jessie's lipstick. The others just gawked at him as Wobuffet walked into the dreaded room. Instead of the blue Pokemon running(or being thrown) out, the Pokemon were met with a stampede! Looks like Wobuffet scared the ladies out!

Minutes later, Pikchu and his friends could just let their mouths drop, as Wobuffet finally walked out, carrying the remote. They couldn't tell if the Pokemon was happy with his sucess, or offended by the reaction of his disguise.

---

Just as the Pokemon got to the right channel, the match is about to begin. They all wiped their foreheads in relief. They just made it in time. Now it's a fight for the spot closest to the T.V. for the Pokemon.

Ash and Jack walked out to the stadium, accompanied by the referee. The crowd cheered at the entry of the trainers. Pichu's eyes lit up as Ash walked just below their spot.

May thought that Pichu calmed down, now that it saw Ash, so she relaxed her hold on the baby. But to everyone's surprise(and horror), the second May let go of Pichu, the little mouse jumped from her lap, over the railing, and to the ground below!

"Pichu!" May screamed in as the crowd looked in horror. Ash turned in the direction of May's shout. His eyes widened as he saw Pichu falling downwards towards him! Before he could react, a gust blew over them all.

Minutes later, Charizard was landing on the ground ten feet from Ash. He has Pichu safely in his hands.

Ash immediately ran over, followed closely by Jack. Pichu was unaware of the danger it was just in. It shifted its head upwards innocently to gaze at Charizard. The Flame Pokemon's expression is unreadable. He just stared as his trainer came closer.

Pichu's head immediately rose from Charizard's hands, just in time to see Ash, panting, stopping in front of him. May, who ran from the balcony seats to the lower seats, and jumped over the barricade, was also out of breath.

"Pichu," she panted, stopping right beside Ash, "don't do that again." Tears were welling up in her eyes, and Charizard silently handed Pichu to her.

May held Pichu closer to her, and the baby could feel May's tears. Pichu just stared at her innocently.

Ash sighed in relief, at the sight of the two of them. He then turned to Charizard. The latter just turned away, avoiding Ash's eyes.

"Thank you," Ash muttered, his voice tense.

Charizard only flew back to his spot at the top of the arena. Ash just stared after the Pokemon, then he felt a tug on his sleeve.

Ash turned around to see Pichu trying to make a grab for his hat again. Both May and Ash sighed, and the latter took off his hat to give to Pichu.

Feraligatr turned around, and saw that the entire Chu family(including their godMeowth) fainted right at the spot. The Big Jaw sighed, as Wobuffet and Swellow are fanning at them.

Swellow(Wha'd you expect? That's their youngest offspring/sibling, you know...)

Feraligatr(Then what about this guy?) He jerked his thumb behind him, towards Torkoal. The Coal Pokemon was burying his eyes behind Feraligatr. But it was clear from the sounds he's making that he's crying(as usual).

"Quick, dodge it!" Heracross flew upwards, barely missing the attack. "Now, Megahorn!" Heracross did a loop-de-loop, and dived downwards, horn pointed towards Lucario. Just as the horn made contact, Lucario grabbed it between both claws, and hurled Heracross to the side.

"Heracross, use the ropes as a sling!" Ash suggested. Heracross planted his feet in between the top and middle ropes, and, using them as a propellant, launched himself towards Lucario for another Megahorn. This time the Aura Pokemon wasn't able to react, and Heracross, using his horn as a lever, lifted Lucario up.

Heracross threw Lucario towards the opposite side, towards the ropes. Lucario grabbed the rope, and safely landed on the edge of the ring. But Heracross dashed towards him again for a Focus Punch. Lucario somersaulted, dodging it, and aimed a Focus Punch of his own. The Singlehorn also dodged it, and aimed another FP(uppercut). Lucario was hit square in the jaw, and, stunned, reeled backwards.

However, the Aura Pokemon wasn't about to give up. With just one hand, he fired another Aura Sphere, which also was a direct hit. Heracross flew backwards from the blow.

Using the ropes as a spring, Lucario jumped back into the center of the ring, chasing after his opponent.

"Lucario, Pound!" Jack ordered. From the air, Lucario landed fists first to the ground, barely missing Heracross underneath. The powerful fist of the fighting-/steel-type caused a shockwave through the ground that shook Heracross in his tracks.

"Go, Lucario, finish him off with Dynamic Punch!"

"Heracross, quick, dodge it!" Heracross barrel-rolled, just an inch from the ground, and flew away before Lucario could connect. Heracross then did a 360 degree, and aimed a high-speed Megahorn back at his opponent. Lucario jumped to evade, but Ash and his Pokemon knew that is exactly what he is going to do.

"Now, Heracross, UP!" Ash ordered, but not before looking upwards at Charizard. Heracross, flew at a straight angle, towards Lucario, and grabbed the latter in a strong grip! The Singlehorn, with his captive, spun rapidly as they flew higher in the air. "Seismic Toss!"

Heracross, still spinning, with captive in tow, tilted downwards, back towards the ground. When they hit, the whole arena shook, and their impact was clouded by smoke.

Charizard smirked. (That's my move...)

---

For the Pokemon back at the hotel...

Feraligatr(A spinning top?)

Pikachu, just recovered(That's Charizard's move!)

Sceptile scowled(A show-off's move...)

---

When the dust cleared, both Heracross and Lucario are on all fours. The latter is struggling to get up, but, in a few seconds, his limbs gave in. Lucario fainted, while Heracross went to his feet, standing proud.

The referee waved his flag in Ash's side. "Lucario is out of the battle. This victory goes to Ash's Heracross!"

"YES!" Ash cheered. He jumped into the ring to congratulate his Heracross. Pichu jumped in after him, and together, the three celebrated, dancing(mostly Pichu) while the crowd clapped.

Shinji, far in the corner bleachers, scowled. "Another lucky break..." He stood from his seat, and left for the locker rooms. His match will be next.

Seconds later Jack joined the little party, to shake Ash's hand. "I knew that I won't stand a chance for someone who defeated two members of the Elite 4," he said with a smile. Heracross is now letting Pichu play with his horn, lifting him up in the air gently. May was nearby, in case the little rodent causes trouble again.

Ash grinned back. "Hey, I still had a hard time beating you," he retorted. "That Seismic toss was just a spur of the moment idea, I'll have you know..."

"So I was beaten by nothing more than whim? Sheesh!" The two exchanged laughs.

---

The next match is between Shinji and a Battle Girl named Shirley. Ash, May and Jack joined the others in the seats to watch the match. If Shinji wins this, it means he will face Ash in the semifinals.

Shinji is using a Machoke, while Shirley is using a Hariyama.

"Machoke, Arm Thrust," Shinji ordered. Machoke flattened his fists, and delivered powerful slaps to the larger Hariyama. The latter countered with his own Thrusts.

"Keep at it, Hariyama," Shirley encouraged her Pokemon. "Dynamic Punch!" Hariyama's fists glowed, and launched it against Machoke's chin. The latter did a sidestep, evading the attack.

"Now, Machoke, use Vital Throw!" Machoke grabbed Hariyama's outstretched hand, turned around, and threw the full weight of the Arm Thrust Pokemon high into the air. "Mega Punch!" Machoke aimed his punch high in the air, where Hriyama, just landing, was hit in the stomach!

Machoke just threw his opponent back to the ground. Hariyama was barely able to stand. Seconds later, the Arm Thrust fell face-first, fainted.

"Hariyama is out of the battle. This victory goes to Shinji's Machoke!"

Shinji just snorted as he recalled Machoke. He gazed at the stands, and his and Ash's eyes met. Both trainers narrowed their eyes at each other. They both have the same thoughts running through their heads.

'I won't lose to you...'

CONTINUED...
-HEADS UP: Spoiler:- 40 spoiler:

Primeape is now standing dangerously close to the edge of the arena. "Ash better think fast," Brock surmised. "One wrong move, and Primeape would be eliminated!"

Just then, Shinji ordered, "Infernape, push that inferior Pokemon out of the arena with Flare Blitz!"

More pokemon madness back at the hotel while Ash and Lucario duke it out, Heracross was awesome and now Shinji must fight Ash? Wow. It looks bad for Ash in 40 and more perverted happenings at the same. At least it's advanceshipping, naughty Ash!

-Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. That last chapter preview was a little advanced, as I have been busy with interesting fillers. It would be in the next chapter, I promise. However, for the first...
EF40: Problem with Pichu

Competitors were given a mandatory break before the first round continues. Ash decided to stick by to watch the rest of the first round, while May and the others returned to the hotel.

"I have to practice for my Contest," she told her boyfriend slowly.

"Wow, May, that's great. I can't wait to see you do those amazing appeals again."

May smiled at him outwardly, but inside she felt a bit guilty. She still doesn't know when to tell him about her losing streak. Ash is bound to know about it, and May won't be able to hide it from him any longer.

---

The 3rd match of the 1st round is between a Sailor and another Battle girl. They are using a Breloom and Hitmonchan, respectively.

The latter began by using Fire Punch. Breloom crouched downwards and countered with a Headbutt. Then, the Mushroom Pokemon wrapped his tail around his opponent's torso. Using the tail as a sling, Breloom hurled Hitmonchan twenty feet away. Hitmonchan somersaulted before hitting the ground, reducing the impact.

But Breloom was already charging towards the Punching Pokemon for another Headbutt. This attack was met with a Mach Punch. The two attacks connected head-on(literally with Breloom), the 2 Pokemon were knocked backwards. They reacched their respective ends's ropes in the recoil, and launched themselves forward again.

Both contenders jumped, going for a Sky Uppercut. Hitmonchan, due to longer limbs, connected first. Breloom fell from his leap, and Hitmonchan finished him off with another Sky Uppercut. The two landed, Hitmonchan over Breloom, hard on the ground. The Mushroom Pokemon never got up. He fainted right after landing.

"Breloom is unable to battle. Victory goes to trainer Janet!" the referee announced.

After that is the fourth and last match before the semifinals. It's between 2 Blackbelts's Hitmonlee and Gallade.

The latter began by using Psychic. Everyone thinks it is an easy win, but Hitmonlee had Protect on, and was running towards Gallade without the psychic force even bothering him. hitmonlee turned sideways, to give a slack to his Rolling Kick. Gallade blocked it with his arms, knocking himself backwards.

After recovering from the blow, Gallade used Dynamic Punch. Hitmonlee, acting quickly, blocked it with a Mega Kick. With Gallade's punch lodged between his leg rings, Hitmonlee has his opponent locked tight. But Gallade, knowing Hitmonlee's now vulnerable, delivered a Psycho Cut with his free hand!

Hitmonlee was knocked backwards, and, due to the Psycho Cut being effective, was immediately knocked out.

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle. Victory goes to trainer Marco!"

---

After the layer, it was around 3:00 P.M. The semifinals was announced to be held tomorrow. The gang returned to the hotel, eagerly awaiting for the next battle.

At the park, Brock started serving food to the Pokemon. Usual arrangements: Swampert and Blaziken eating together, to infuriate Sceptile. The aforementioned Forest Pokemon is eating with only fellow loner Toxicroak. Swellow, Heracross, Primeape and Torkoal are eating together on one side. Charizard is on the usual spot on the edge of the cliff, lost in thought, not even touching the food he was given.

Pikachu is now passing a suspiciously red bottle to the rest of his family. Seviper and Wobuffet are next to Mime Jr., Cacnea, Squirtle and Espeon are grouped with Feraligatr and Munchlax.

Ash sat next to May, and his head was drooping. He seems ready to sleep, while Pichu, held by May, was being bottlefed.Jessie and James are stuffing themselves with all the food they could get their hands on.

After being fed, Pichu is now ready to play with its siblings. May set the baby down on the ground, and it ran off to join the rest of the Chu family.Pikachu didn't even give the approval until the nine Pichus ran towards the other Pokemon, trying to bug them.

---

At half past seven in the evening, Ash retired to his hotel room. He's already tired from the competition, and so it is a nice change from their two days's straight of staying up late.

May and Pichu arrived later, only to find that Ash has disregarded bathing before going to sleep. Ash is sprawled on his side of the bed, his clothes still on. May put Pichu down on the bed next to Ash.

"Stay there, okay?" May told Pichu. "And don't wake Ash." May sat down next to Pichu, and got out her fanny pack, which she had lying on the edge of her side of the bed. She rummaged in it to get a fresh set of clothes. "I'll take a bath, and then we'll go to sleep, okay?"

May went to the bathroom. To make sure no more incidents like last night would happen, she's going to change there. But May still made one critical mistake. She left her fanny pack lying around, with one of the pockets open. Right next to someone who's too innocent to think that he'll be doing something wrong...

Pichu gazed at May's fanny pack innocently. Then, for the first time since Ash returned it to him, Pichu left the hat, and began crawling towards the bag, its sights set on the open pocket. Pichu climbed into the opening. In a few seconds only its feet are seen sticking out of the pocket. After a few moments, Pichu pulled itself out, its teeth locked onto some sort of pink fabric. It's May's, er, uh...

'And I thought you needed help with this stuff, authori-twerp,' Meowth said.

'This is the 3rd time that you're in a scene when you shouldn't be!'

Pichu gazed at the fabric that he was holding on to. It smiled, since it could smell its mother's scent from the cloth. Then, remembering something, Pichu glanced at the sleeping form next to him. Pichu's face lit up with glee.

It crawled up to Ash, the forbidding cloth still in tow. Once Pichu is on top of Ash's chest, next to his face, Pichu rubbed itself on Ahs's cheek as a show of affection.

Ash began to stir. Whether it's because of Pichu's friction or he smells May's scent, we don't know. Ash just woke up with a start, and he saw Pichu close by, right before the Pokemon fell to his side again. But May's you-know-what is still on his chest, then sliding to his lap. And May just walked out of the bathroom. The timing is perfect.

Ash blushed, and his eyes widened at the fabric sitting on his lap. Then he shifted his gaze at Pichu, who was looking up at him, smiling, oblivious to what he put his father into. Then he looked at May, who was beyond anger.

"Ash!" May shouted angrily, striding right over and snatching her you-know-what out of Ash's lap. "I can't believe you'd do something like THIS!"

May also took notice of Pichu, and snatched the baby into her hand as well. "And now you're trying to blame it on a baby, Ash? How could you?"

Then they heard a knock on the door. It was Brock. As Ash was speechless, May marched up to the door and opened it snappily. The older trainer was a bit startled at May's expression, but he spoke his reason.

"Hey, guys, I was wondering if-"

May cut him off. "You- You- YOU!" Brock looked like a hurricane hit him right in the face. "You're the reason that Ash is acting like the way he is now, you girl-crazed yahoo!" Before Brock could reply May slammed the door violently on his face.

"What'd I do?" Brock asked himself incredulously.

---

Outside Ash's and May's room...

Our dear friend Charizard is hovering a few feet just under the balcony. Riding him are Meowth and Pikachu.

The three Pokemon cringed at the sounds of May's voice and the door slamming. "Wow, and I thought you had anger management issues," Meowth remarked in a low voice.

Charizard(Keep saying that, and pray that you will sprout wings. Anyway... This time, we'll really make it happen...)

Pikachu(You sound sure of yourself. What if Ash finds out? He already has bad blood, and won't certainly be happy towards you.)

Charizard(He'll thank me for this later. Right now we have one thing to worry about, and it's the relationship of those two.)

Pikachu sighed and shook his head. Meanwhile, Meowth complained, "I know it's honky-dory with you guys, but I don't want to end up on the twerp's bad side anymore. So how come you brought me along, anyway?"

Charizard(Because, we're gonna need your skills.)

"Now I know I don't like where this is going..."

Charizard(Just imagine. If we're sucessful, in a few years we would hear church bells. And a good wedding feast... And a good, large, yummy, delectable cake...) Drool was dripping from Charizard's mouth as he said those words.

Meowth and Pikachu just stared at each other and sighed. "All I'm thinking of right now is that feast downstairs..."

---

Brock, ringing ears and all, returned downstairs, to the hotel's massive dining hall. Jack, Donald and James are already there.

The hotel was actually celebrating their 15th anniversary. So the generous owner arranged a gathering. All the hotel guests are invited.

Brock joined his friends at the banquet table. "I just got slammed in the face by May, calling me a girl-crazed yahoo, and I don't even know why. Tell me, is my nose on straight? If it is, I don't want it to ruin my chances with the ladies."

"And he's wondering why the twerpette called him that," James whispered to the other two.

Minutes later, all four men had their mouths hanging open when Jill and Jessie arrived. Both women are wearing flashy(and attractive) dresses.

So now most of the guests have arrived. The only one missing, aside from Ash and May, is Shinji, who was keeping to himself, training for his match against Ash tomorrow.

---

Pichu gazed from his left side to his right. May may have vented all her anger towards Brock, but still she's not talking to Ash. They have their backs to each other, and both are close to the respective edges of their beds. Pichu, in between, is not at all happy, for it wants to be embraced by both.

The three schemers waited until the two trainers are asleep. Charizard softly landed on the balcony, though there was little room for him.

Meowth did as he was instructed. Using his right index claw, he picked the lock on the balcony door. After a mere half minute of tinkering, Meowth was able to open the lock.

Pikachu and Meowth slowly opened the door, to keep things quiet. But Pichu's ears perked up, and it shifted its gaze at the newcomers.

All three trespassers froze in their tracks. They didn't expect that Pichu would still be awake!

Pikachu(That's not part of the plan...)

"Great. Now what do we do?"

Pichu then returned to gazing at its parents. Then it had an idea. As the three older Pokemon watched, Pichu crawled over to Ash's side. Pichu stood in front of Ash(closest to the edge of the bed) and began pushing the trainer closer to the center. However, Pichu doesn't have the right strength to suceed. It tried again, this time with May, but also to no avail.

Charizard(Is it doing what I think it's doing?)

"I think so," Meowth whispered. "Think we should help?"

Pikachu(That's what we're here for, right?)

And so the four Pokemon pushed Ash and May to the center. That's all they had to do, as, after they suceeded, Ash and May involuntarily locked each other in embraces.

"I second that," Meowth agreed. The three Pokemon left out the way they came in. Meowth locked the door behind him, and made sure that they cleaned their tracks.

Even if they just left, Pichu has completely forgotten about the three. It gazed happily at Ash and May, sleeping contentedly. Feeling content, Pichu crawled underneath the couple's entangled arms, slipped onto a small gap between the two, and began cooing happily. Its space was a bit tight, but Pichu doesn't care.

For a few hours it was a contented silence. The party on the dining hall has ended at a quarter to midnight, and the guests are now retreating to their rooms.

Ash squeezed May tighter in his embrace, and the latter just shrugged. Pichu still hasn't fallen asleep. I'm quite a bit surprised that it wasn't suffocating from being in between Ash and May.

But all is not right. May stirred, and she suddenly woke. The first thing she saw was Ash. May slightly blushed. For a second, her anger was rising, but she saw the innocent look on Ash's face, and she melted. Then she saw Pichu wedged between her and Ash, wiggly-ears and all.

May, startled, tried to push Ash away. The latter is stirring, but no dice. "Ash," she whispered. "Ash!" she repeated, a little louder.

Ash jolted awake, and he found himself staring into the sapphire eyes of the girl he loves. It seems that he was dreaming about her... "ACK! May, I-"

"Ash," May said again. "I don't know how we got into this, but we've got to move. Or Pichu would choke to death!"

The male realised what May said. He let go of May, but Pichu suddenly pulled on Ash's tanktop and May's nightshirt, trying to keep them together.

"Pichu," May said. "if we don't move, you'll run out of air..."

The baby wouldn't listen, and it kept pulling the two towards itself. Ash and May looked at each other and sighed.

"I guess Pichu wants us to sleep this way," Ash said uneasily, his face a slight shade of crimson.

May blushed, too. Pichu felt that it won, so it relaxed. It looked from one parent to the other, and Ash and May kept diverting their gazes away from each other.

May smiled. "It's okay, Ash. I'm just feeling a bit stressed that time, that's all..."

Ash wrinkled his brow. "Why? Is it about the Contest?" May nodded. "Oh, come on, May. I know for a fact that you're one of the best Coordinators out there."

May's eyes and lips quivered. "Ash, I- I'm sorry... I- I haven't been h-honest w-with you, lately." She once again turned her eyes away from Ash's. When she faced him again, Ash was startled to see her tears. "I haven't won a single Contest in here in Johto. I don't know why, I just thought that I lost my touch or something..."

Ash was expressionless. We don't know if he's angry for May keeping it from him, or not. It took him a few minutes until he spoke again.

"It's alright, May," he said slowly. Ash used his right index finger to wipe away May's tears. The latter held Ash's hand as it was stroking her face. "I am a bit disappointed that you didn't win any Contest, but maybe it's because-"

"You weren't there?" May joked, though she was still crying.

Ash smiled. "Maybe. We'll talk more about this tomorrow. Good night, May."

"Good night, Ash." The two closed their eyes, but before they went to sleep, they heard a small squeak of complaint. "Oh, sorry, Pichu. Good night to you, too..."

"Yeah, Pichu, good night," Ash said, and as he closed his eyes, he held his family closer.

---

The next morning, May woke up, to find that Ash hasn't let go of her throughout the entire night. The other trainer went over his back as May rose, and Pichu did the same. May smiled at the two, sleeping innocently.

'After last night, I know that Ash really loves me. And I'm really happy for it...' Bending low, May planted a soft kiss on Ash's cheek, to which the trainer just grunted.

May took Pichu with her to the bathroom, to freshen up. After bathing herself, May decided to bathe Pichu, on the bathroom sink. The bath was no problem. But when May used a face towel to dry Pichu off, she found that the towel stuck to the left side of the baby Pokemon!

"Oh, dear," May said, as she was trying to pull the towel off Pichu. It wouldn't budge. Pichu, who thinks that they're playing, pulled on the towel as well. And now the face towel stuck to its hands as well!

CONTINUED...
-Pichu was so small that it could fit into one of the pockets of May's fanny pack...
-No preview. The HEADS UP from last chapter could content you for now.

So static electricity? And more craziness mixed with shippiness, Pichu is a bad boy! Taking May's you-know-what. May was funny calling Brock a girl-crazed yahoo. So Ash will face Shinji soon and fight either Macro or Janet.

When May walked down to the park, it was now 7:30 A.M. Surprisingly(for her), no one seems to be around, except for the Pokemon.

'Where is everyone?' she wondered aloud, as she placed a towel-clad Pichu on a picnic table. The toweled baby Pokemon also looked around.

The first pokemon she saw was Sceptile, lying on a tree branch, as usual. What's new there is that the Forest Pokemon has a toothpick in his mouth(he still hasn't found a replacement twig). Swellow is seen on an opposite branch, and below him are Toxicroak, Mime Jr. and Cacnea, all heads dropping. Feraligatr is close by, leaning on the same tree. He is surrounded by three Pichus, Munchlax, Squirtle and Torkoal.

Charizard is still motionless at the edge of the cliff. Leaning on him, asleep, are the rest of the Pichus, Meowth, Pikachu and She-chu. A few feet from them are Blaziken, Seviper, Wobuffet and Espeon. Primeape and Heracross are also nowhere to be seen.

While May kept looking from one side to the other, Brock approached, to tend his usual duty. But he froze at the sight of May. 'Oh, no, she's here. Is she gonna scream at me again?'

May felt Brock's presence, and turned around. The breeder froze in place, holding the large tray of Pokemon food. May walked over to him. Brock braced himself, in case he gets shouted at again.

"Brock, I'm so sorry about last night. I just..."

Brock sighed in relief. He placed the tray of food on the table next to Pichu. The little mouse gazed at the treats, and the same curious look formed in its eyes. Brock put an arm on either shoulder of May. "Don't worry about it. You're just stressed about the Contest, right?"

May nodded. Pichu is now checking the onigiri. But our little baby is looking for a certain condiment. Then May remembered something. "I finally told Ash about my conquest here in Johto, last night."

"So, how did he take it?"

May held her chest and smiled. "He wasn't the least bit angry. For that I am glad that I chose him as my boyfriend."

Brock smiled to himself. "That's good. And no surprise. Ash is not one to hold anger these days... Well, for a few exceptions... He- He- HEY!" Pichu accidentally spilled the tray to the ground, trying to find some ketchup.

---

The rest of the morning went on uneventful. So we go fast-forward to the beginning of the semifinals, in the late morning.

Charizard, Pikachu, Sceptile and Feraligatr are all found on the stadium roof. The Flame Pokemon was panting, hard, and Pikachu was patting his knee. Next to Pikachu was Feraligatr, and the one opposite Charizard is Sceptile.

Sceptile sternly looked at Feraligatr(That's it. no more in between snacks for you.)

Feraligatr rubbed his tummy(I can't help it. Those cakes are just asking to be eaten.)

Sceptile shook his head, and looked at Charizard sympathetically. The Flame pokemon went eye to eye with his rival, and for the first time, they nodded to each other.

Charizard(I think it's about time you get a workout.)

Sceptile(I couldn't agree more.)

The two Pokemon turned away from each other, and their tails swiped Feraligatr off his feet. The Big Jaw slipped, and he's struggling with his balance on the roof. Pikachu grabbed Feraligatr by the tail, to keep him from falling 100 feet.

Pikachu(Guys! GUYS! HELP!)

The other two only reluctantly helped. Obviously, they want to teach their peer a little lesson.

---

Ash sat alone in the locker room, doing a pre-match meditation. The other competitors(and Shinji) have already left to the arena. It came as a surprise to him that he would be visited by none other than Bruno himself!

"Well, Ash, long time no see," the large, tan man said cheerfully. Ash stood up to shake Bruno's hand.

"Yeah," was all our hero could say.

"You've come a long way since I first saw you," Bruno continued. "And you made a lot of progress as well."

"I couldn't have done it without my Pokemon, and my friends. I thank them for that."

Bruno nodded. "I only came here to wish you good luck. Your opponent is a tough one."

The speaker above them sounded, calling for Ash to enter the arena. Ash nodded a goodbye to the Elite, and left the locker room.

---

Ash walked to his spot to one side of the arena. Shinji is already waiting for him on the other.

The latter narrowed his eyes at his rival. "And I thought you weren't gonna show. You'll get beaten, anyway. You shouldn't have shown at all."

The referee signalled the trainers to call their Pokemon. Ash and Shinji sent out Primeape and Infernape, respectively. "First match of the semifinals. Ash's Primeape vs. Shinji's Infernape. BEGIN!"

"Primeape, start by using a Headbutt attack!" Ash commanded. Primeape is now running towards his opponent, his head lowered like a battering ram.

"Infernape, Fire Spin!" Infernape fired at Primeape. The latter stopped in his tracks, engulfed in a wall of flames. He is trapped, not knowing what to do. He looked at his trainer.

"Primeape, use Dynamic Punch to break through the wall!" Ash ordered. The powerful punch was enough for Primeape to get out of his fire-prison, but he received a burn during the escape.

'Just the way I planned it,' Shinji said to himself, as Ash clenched his fists. "Flare Blitz, NOW!"

Infernape began dashing towards the injured Primeape, covered in flames. The latter braced himself for the blow. "Vital Throw, Primeape!" Ash quickly ordered.

Just as Infernape connected, Primeape grabbed both of his opponent's arms, turned around, and hurled Infernape towards the ropes. The Flame Pokemon reacted by latching onto the rope with his long legs, and hurled himself back towards Primeape. The two Pokemon thrust their fists out for Mega Punches.

The punches connected, and both Pokemon fell to the ground. But they both sprang up, ready for more. However, Primeape is breathing heavily. 'Must be from the burns he's sustained,' Ash thought.

"Infernape, Fire Punch!"

"Primeape, quickly, Detect!"

Primeape grabbed the flaming fist of his opponent with both hands. Wrong move... Infernape launched another Fire Punch with his other hand. Primeape can't defend from the second attack!

"Go in for a Close Combat, Infernape," Shinji said coolly. Infernape is now bombarding his opponent with a barrage of punches and kicks. Primeape wasn't fast enough to defend himself from the attacks. At the last moment, Infernape jumped a good fifteen feet away, ready for another attack. Ash knew what is going to happen next.

The Pig Monkey is now standing dangerously close to the edge of the arena. "Ash better think fast," Brock pointed out. "One wrong move, and Primeape would be eliminated!"

Just then, Shinji ordered, "Infernape, push that inferior Pokemon out of the arena with another Flare Blitz!"

Infernape is now dashing towards his opponent for what may be the finishing blow. "Primeape, brace for it!" Primeape crosse his arms in front of him to block the attack. Infernape hit Primeape head-on, but the latter planted his feet to the ground. Cue traditional 'Pokemon victory'(I think) theme...

"Primeape, Vital Throw, again, this time over the rope!" Primeape grabbed Infernape's head with both hands, and hurled him over the top rope. Infernape reacted by grabbing to the rope. But Primeape used the last of his energy to Mega Kick(or Stomp) the hand. The startled Pokemon fell to ringside.

"Infernape is..." the ref started to say, but he saw that one foot is still on the arena, acting as a brace. Infernape, to Ash's and Primeape's dismay, is just a few feet off the ground, meaning he wasn't eliminated yet! Infernape, with powerful lower body strength, hurled himself upwards, landing right behind Primeape.

Primeape whipped around, and delivered a backhand Mega Punch at Infernape. The latter dodged it Matrix style, and landed a sliding Mega Kick. Primeape's left leg buckled at the impact, and the Pig Monkey is now on his knees. Infernape jumped high into the air, and is now going to deliver a Blaze Kick from above!

At the last moment, Ash called, "Primeape, use Detect, again!" Primeape clapped his fists onto the stretched(and blazing) foot of Infernape, before the latter could connect. Such a counter threw Shinji and his Pokemon by surprise. "Now, Slam him to the ground!"

Primeape, using Infernape's legs as a lever, threw him to the ground, hard. Still holding onto the leg, Primeape lifted the dazed Infernape up again, waiting for Ash's next command.

"Go for a Seismic Toss!" Primeape spun round and round, Infernape still in tow. At the fastest momentum, Primeape released Infernape, and the fire-type was sent out of the ring, and crashed into the arena wall. Infernape is knocked out. But just throwig him out of the arena was enough.

This time the referee made sure of his decision. He ran over to the spot where Infernape lay. After a few minutes, he announced, "Infernape is out of the ring, and is unable to battle. Victory goes to Ash and his Primeape!"

Ash and Primeape jumped in unison, while the crowd cheered, the loudest cheer yet. Meanwhile, Shinji scowled at the announcement. He walked slowly over to his Pokemon, and recalled the Flame Pokemon. 'I can't belive you'd lose to his Pokemon. You are useless...'

"Hey, Shinji!" Ash called, running up to the spot where Infernape used to be. Shinji just walked slowly back to the locker room, ignoring Ash's call. Ash stopped, and frowned at the departing trainer. 'Sore loser,' was all Ash could think of.

His four Pokemon up on the rooftop are thinking the same thing. Strangely, Ash never bothered to look up at them. I'll bet that he doesn't even notice they're there...

---

The second semifinal match is up next. Ash went up to the bleachers to join his friends. Only then that, after being congratulated at, and taking his seat right next to May, did Ash notice that, aside from his hat, Pichu is wearing something else... The baby is holding Ash's hat in front of him, and a face towel was draped to his side.

"Uh, May, why is Pichu like that? He reminds me of those caped superheroes."

"Well, it all started when I was going to give Pichu a bath..." Pichu bit on the edge of the towel closest to its face, and started pulling on it. Pichu seems to enjoy what it's doing...

As the two talked, the match went underway. Janet is using a Hitmonlee, while Blackbelt Marco is using a Medicham. Ash's thoughts went back to the match. If Janet wins, he would be facing her Hitmonchan. If Marco wins, Ash is going to face against his Gallade. The former seems to be the easier choice.

Medicham slapped her hand against the flat of Hitmonlee's foot with great force, sending the Pokemon backwards. "Hitmonlee, try to go in for a Mega Kick!" Hitmonlee recovered from the initial attack, and closed in for the Mega Kick. Medicham countered with another barrage of Arm Thrusts. This time the Kicking Pokemon dodged the attacks, and connected with Mega Kick from below.

Medicham was launched up into the air, but somersaulted in the air, barely evading Hitmonlee's second attack, a Hi Jump Kick. Now Medicham is below, while Hitmonlee is still above. The former fired a Shadow Ball, which hit her opponent square in the back!

Hitmonlee fell to the ground, already unconscious. "Hitmonlee is unable to battle. Victory goes to Marco and his Medicham!"

A good sport(unlike someone we know), Janet went over to congratulate her opponent. The crowd clapped as the two shook hands. Ash, however, is now troubled. Brock must have read his mind.

"Detect, Gallade!" Gallade clapped his blade-like fists onto the horn, stopping Heracross in his stride. "Now, Vital Throw!" Gallade threw Heracross over his shoulder with ease. Heracross recovered from the throw by barrel-rolling, and flying back to the center.

"Now, use Psychic!" Gallade closed his eyes, and a powerful psychic blast generated from his body. The force hit Heracross with tremendous intensity!

Ash is only given one and a half hour to practice for his final match. He wasted no time in going back to the park. After sending out Heracross, Ash reuested the rest of his Pokemon to give the Singlehorn a good training session.

The foursome of Pikachu, Charizard, Feraligatr and Sceptile also returned there in record time. And they, too, were eager to help. Although Ash is a bit reluctant to let Charizard help, he appreciated the enthusiasm of the training.

The training began with Heracvross doing push-ups, and his weights are all the baby Pokemon that can ride on his back. And I mean all the Pokemon of the baby classification... This includes the Pichus, Mime Jr., and even Munchlax! However, the weight of these is easy cake for our Singlehorn, who was able to press 200. Wow...

Next, Heracross has to evade psychic-type attacks, from Espeon and Mime Jr. This is essential, as Zane will certinly use his Gallade's psychic powers to use in the match. It is a tad bit harder, but Heracross managed to pull it without a scratch.

Charizard and Sceptile are next. The former began teaching Heracross how to perform Seismic Toss perfectly(according to him). Sceptile is the unfortunate practice dummy. The latter retaliated by giving Charizard a powerful Slam.

Next, Feraligatr tested Heracross's endurance. But that part of the training would be a problem, because...

Feraligatr shook hios head, not knowing why he can't use it either. Charizard walked up, interested(What's this about Hyper Beams?)

Pikachu(Feraligatr can't use Hydro Cannon. And he doesn't know why.)

This time it was Sceptile spoke up(You learned Hydro Cannon? How? When?)

Feraligatr(Back in Bertha's Cup. I used it to defeat that his-name-escapes-me thief's Rhyperior in the Underground, as well as Bertha's own Rhyperior.)

Charizard(So you know a powerful attack, and you forgot how to do it?!) Feraligatr nodded. (That's the silliest thing I've ever heard.)

Pikachu was more than agreeing. (That's worse than Sceptile over there being rejected for the first time.)

Sceptile(HEY! How come we have to get to that again? And what did you mean first rejection?)

Pikachu played with his fingers uneasily. (Uh, well, uh, I shouldn't have said that...)

Charizard placed a hand under his chin, thinking. (Must be because of that mad-hen ex of yours...)

Sceptile(Wha-?)

Heracross cleared his throat. (Uh, guys, aren't we supposed to be training?)

---

Ash rlearned that his Feraligatr couldn't utilise Hydro Cannon again, and was a bit dissapointed about it. But right now, he's got other things to worry about. Like his and Heracross's final match against Zane and his Gallade.

Ash stood in his side of the arena, very tense, clutching Heracross's Pokeball hard. "Heracross, let's go!" The Singlehorn came out, ready to fight.

"Go, Gallade!" Zane called. Out of his Pokeball came the Blade Pokemon.

"Heracross, go in for a Megahorn!" Heracross lifted himself off the ground, and flew towards Gallade, his horn thrust out.

"Detect, Gallade!" Gallade clapped his blade-like fists onto the horn, stopping Heracross in his stride. "Now, Vital Throw!" Gallade threw Heracross over his shoulder with ease. Heracross recovered from the throw by barrel-rolling, and flying back to the center.

"Now, use Psychic!" Gallade closed his eyes, and a powerful psychic blast generated from his body. The force hit Heracross with tremendous intensity!

Gallade didn't stop there. He jumped high into the air after the stunned Heracross. The former grabbed onto the Singlehoren in a strangle hold. "Seismic Toss, Gallade!" Marco ordered. Gallade spun Heracross around in midair, and threw him to the ground.

"Heracross, quick, use Gust to soften the blow!" Heracross complied, flapping his wings. He managed to land without painful impact. But Gallade came down on him for his deadly Psycho Cut. Heracross was badly slashed in the back!

Heracross tumbled, only coming to a stop just below Ash. "Heracross, are you okay?" our hero asked. Heracross only answered with a grunt, as he struggled to stand up. Then, Heracross started glowing! The stadium was silent, and Ash was baffled at what was happening. Again, he took out the Pokedex, and trained it on the glowing Heracross:
Swarm. This trait allows Bug-type pokemon to increase the strength of their attacks.

Heracross dashed one more time towards Gallade, still glowing. "Gallade, use Psybeam!" Gallade fired a beam of psychic energy at Heracross. The Megahorn is able to protect Heracross from the blow, though(cancelling it out). Again, Cue traditional 'Pokemon victory'(I think) theme...

Heracross pushed on, even at the force of the Psybeam. He closed in inch by inch, Ash cheering him on. When the two Pokemon are almost toe to toe, Heracross swung his Megahorn upwards, lifting, and swiping, Gallade off his feet!

With one more huge effort, Heracross whipped his Megahorn against Gallade, knocking him over. Then Heracross slammed his Megahorn on the fallen Gallade's head, knocking him out!

"Gallade is unable to battle. The victory, the P-1 championship, and the Bruno's Cup, goes to Ash and his Heracross!"

The crowd stood up in their seats and cheered. Ash ran over to the spot where his Heracross is kneeling. He put a hand on the shoulder of his Pokemon. "Heracross, are you alright? You did great out there."

Heracross smiled at his trainer. Behind them, the crowd began to chant their names.

---

The main event will take place tomorrow. The gang is now returning to the hotel. Ash is in between Heracross and Primeape, both wearing the P-1 championship belts.

Jessie and James lagged behind. From an alley they heard a "Pssst". The two ex-criminals turned to the direction of the call, and spotted Drake, almost hidden in the shadows. The two looked at each other, and at their departing companions, and walked over.

"You talking to me?" James asked.

"Both of you. Now follow me." Drake straightened from his leaning position, and walked further into the alley. Jessie and James just shrugged at each other and followed the Elite.

Drake led them to a seedy-looking bar, in the basement of a like-wise seedy motel. After ordering drinks, Drake took them to a small booth to the far back, where no one can notice them.

"Tell me, how is your community service coming along?" Drake asked, almost casual.

"Well, it's going fine-" James started.

"Cut the chit-chat," Jessie cut in. "What did you call us here for?"

Drake sighed as he sipped into his soda. "I only want to see if you would like to see your Boss again." The two just stared. "I knew that's how you would react. Well?"

Jessie and James looked at each other. It was the former who spoke up. "Y- You know our B- Boss?"

Drake nodded. "We are old friends. And still are. So, I'm going to ask again. Do you want to see him? I'm pretty sure that he would have more information to tell you."

James held up a hand. "Wait a minute. How'd you know our Boss anyway?"

"I guess I haven't made myself clear. Very well. Meet me in the Cianwood Private Hospital. That's where I took Giovanni to mend his injuries."

CONTINUED...
-HEADS UP: Spoiler:- 43 preview:

"As I returned to Evergrande City, I found out that the PLA has arranged a competition similar to the one right now. And guess who was the one who was first on the list?"

Only one person comes to the mind of everyone. Since the very Elite Four hosting the event 15 years ago, is standing in this very room.